"Promoting Pets as Ambassadors?"... 'Daengfluencer' Contest Held in 'Yongsan'

Yongsan-gu Launches First Autonomous District Pet Dog Model Project
Registered Pet Dogs Accepted Until the 15th

Seoul Gangseo-gu Gimpo Airport Domestic Terminal Pet Center dog boarding facility. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

There are 13 million pet owners, meaning one out of every four households has a pet, and this ratio is gradually increasing. Now, people, dogs, and cats share an inseparable coexistence.

As the number of pet owners grows, local governments are competing to introduce related policies, and some districts have even started selecting pets owned by residents as models to promote local policies.

Yongsan-gu in Seoul has decided to select registered dogs in the district as ‘Yongsan-gu Daengfluencers’ and debut them as models for one year. ‘Daengfluencer’ is a portmanteau of ‘Daengdaengi’ (an affectionate term for dogs) and ‘influencer.’

How to become a Daengfluencer (promotional dog)

Applicants must go through a strict(?) selection process. Eligibility is limited to registered dogs within the district who can actively participate in district promotional activities. If selected as a promotional dog, the owner must promise to faithfully participate in district promotion modeling and social media (SNS) activities until the end of the year, barring any special circumstances.

Applications, along with a vertical-format video of the dog (MP4 file under 30 seconds), must be submitted by email to the Yongsan-gu Public Relations Office or delivered in person to the Public Relations Office or nearby community service centers by the 15th of this month.

The video should showcase the unique personality and characteristics of the participating dog, the owner’s ability to control the dog, and how the dog responds to external environments. Yongsan-gu will select up to three dogs, categorized as small, medium, and large breeds.

If a total of nine dogs are selected in the first round, the second round will involve evaluation by a panel of experts and an SNS popularity vote, combining scores to select three final dogs by size category. The expert panel includes professionals in photography and videography, veterinarians, and dog trainers.

Yongsan-gu plans to complete the first round by the 19th of next month, hold the finals around mid-May, and announce the final results. Promotional dog activities will begin in May.

What happens when you become a Daengfluencer

Promotional dogs will receive uniforms, name tags, and leashes (harnesses), and will participate as models in Yongsan-gu newsletters, promotional videos, and other district promotional materials, gaining media exposure regularly.

They will also be involved in the development of promotional dog emoticons, SNS-based district promotion activities, and district events and projects. They will appear in ‘Promotional Dog Vlogs’ on the Yongsan-gu YouTube channel and participate in pet-related projects and campaigns organized by the district.

Why run the Daengfluencer project?

Yongsan-gu explains that it is a challenge to achieve three goals at once: fostering a mature pet culture, public interest, and friendly district promotion. Instead of spending extra costs to create mascots or using models unrelated to the district, it is more meaningful to utilize pets owned by residents as models.

It is also considered that the pet-owning population will continue to grow, and delicate pet policies are necessary to avoid causing harm to non-pet owners.

Yongsan-gu ranks first among Seoul’s 25 districts in the number of registered dogs relative to population (8.9%, 19,291 dogs). The pet registration system officially records information about pets and their owners. Registered pets can be identified through microchips or collar tags, enabling quick recovery if lost and playing an important role in protecting the safety of both people and animals.

Pet registration also plays a crucial role in solving abandoned animal problems, managing and preventing diseases, and developing policies and services based on accurate statistics. The government and local authorities encourage registration because it positively impacts both individual pet owners and society as a whole.

Yongsan-gu expects the ‘Daengfluencer project’ to have a positive effect on promoting and encouraging pet registration.

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