Busan City Reaches Sudden Agreement with Residents on Korea's Largest 'Pet Theme Park'

Election Promises of the 8th Term, Submission of Location Proposal for Cheolma in Gijang-gun... Final Site Decision

Largest Theme Park in Korea... Various Facilities Serving as a Hub for Companion Animal Culture

Busan City will actively promote the “Companion Animal Theme Park Development Project,” a campaign pledge of the 8th mayoral term, by utilizing national and public lands in the Guchil-ri area of Cheolma-myeon, Gijang-gun.

Location map of the pet theme park.

As of October 2021, there are 184,000 households with companion animals in Busan, but there are only six companion animal theme parks nationwide, making them almost nonexistent. Citizens have continuously demanded the establishment of a companion animal theme park.

Accordingly, the city intended to promote the “Companion Animal Theme Park Development Project” as a campaign pledge of the 8th mayoral term, but has faced difficulties in the site selection process.

To select the site, the first step in project promotion, the city formed a dedicated task force (T/F) to continuously gather opinions from local residents and actively appeal the necessity of the project. As a result, a breakthrough agreement was reached to locate the park in the Guchil-ri area of Cheolma-myeon, Gijang-gun.

Since September last year, the dedicated task force for the Companion Culture Theme Park has been formed, actively reviewing and responding to petitions and appeals from local residents.

Additionally, three meetings were held with the Gijang County Governor, and through residents’ meetings and explanatory sessions, the project’s justification and necessity have been actively explained.

In particular, County Governor Jeong Jong-bok played an active mediating role at the city-county-resident representative meeting on September 8, leading to a decisive agreement to locate the theme park in the Cheolma-myeon area of Gijang-gun.

Busan City and Gijang-gun plan to continue actively consulting and reviewing the requests of Cheolma residents related to the Companion Culture Theme Park to ensure their reflection in the project.

With the final site decision, the Busan Companion Animal Theme Park is set to be developed on the largest scale nationwide. Various facilities such as ▲animal playgrounds ▲animal camping sites ▲animal walking trails ▲companion animal complex cultural centers ▲animal hospitals will be established, playing a pivotal role as a hub for companion animal culture in Korea.

The total area is 595,000㎡ (524,000㎡ of national and public land, 71,000㎡ of private land), making it the largest scale in Korea, 1.25 times the size of Busan Citizens Park.

The plan is to design convenience, training, and cultural facilities incorporating diverse ideas from domestic companion animal experts.

Especially, since the site falls within development-restricted zones and water source protection areas, to promote coexistence with local residents who have been marginalized, facilities proposed by residents such as local product markets and village squares will also be considered for installation within the park through active communication with the community.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, “In our society, companion animals have shifted from the concept of pets to family-like partners living together.” He added, “Through the establishment of this companion animal theme park, we will not only satisfy the desires of citizens who love companion animals but also introduce various convenience and theme facilities and creative content to develop the park as a hub of companion culture. We will do our best to make Busan a companion animal-friendly city where the local community can grow together.”

Busan City plans to promptly complete the basic conceptual study for the companion animal theme park and systematically proceed with related administrative procedures such as urban management plan (park) decisions, GB management plan changes, and park development plan establishment to ensure swift construction.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.