A recent report by the Seoul Digital Foundation, an organization affiliated with the Seoul city government, revealed that the number of registered pet dogs in Seoul has reached 612,000, accounting for 17.5 percent of the country’s total.

This data, based on the March 2024 database of registered pets, indicated that approximately 1 in 10 households in the South Korean capital now own at least one dog, with a ratio of 14.9 dogs per 100 households.

The report also provided a detailed breakdown of dog ownership across the city’s 25 districts, highlighting areas with the highest concentration of pets. Gangnam-gu, known for its affluence and trendy lifestyle, topped the list with 39,792 registered dogs, followed by Songpa-gu and Gangseo-gu with 38,005 and 37,800 dogs, respectively.

Conversely, Jung-gu reported the lowest number of registered dogs at 8,823, followed by Jongno-gu with 10,698.

(moonkihoon@heraldcorp.com)