Incheon Residents are calling out for a crematorium for pets. The city has the fourth largest number of registered pets in the nation. (Image : Yonhap)
INCEON, Feb.1 (Korea Bizwire) – Incheon Residents are calling out for a crematorium for pets. The city has the fourth largest number of registered pets in the nation.
According to officials in Bupyeong-gu, another suggestion has been made to the local government of Incheon to establish a crematorium for pets.
It was the second time the matter has been suggested since 2014, and officials from other districts in Incheon are in favor of the proposal.
In 2015, a total of 62,109 pets were registered in Incheon, which is the fourth largest number in the nation. The number of pets exceeds 103,000 when taking into account those that aren’t registered, but there isn’t a crematorium for them in Incheon.
As a results, pet owners have to go to other cities to cremate their beloved pets, or have no choice but to throw them away as garbage.
By the end of 2014, council of 10 local office heads in Incheon agreed on a plan to build a crematorium for pets within the Incheon Family Park Cemetery.
However, Incheon city officials rejected the plan because the park’s facilities are limited by law to cemeteries, and development in the area is restricted under special zoning provisions.
Officials from the Bupyeong-gu office claim that building the pet crematorium in the park could save costs and also be profitable. Building a private crematorium would be far more difficult as the regulations are onerous, and it would be hard to find a suitable site for the facility.
On the other hand, some point out that the suggestion to build a crematorium in a cemetery is not a good idea, as people might be uncomfortable with having an ‘animal crematorium’ right next to where their families are buried.
Currently, there are 16 pet crematories in Korea. All of them are managed by private organizations.
Incheon city officials comment that the plan was rejected not only because of city zoning restrictions, but also because of expected opposition from the residents living near the cemetery park. Officials are looking into building an animal shelter and pet crematorium in the metropolitan landfill in the future, but are skeptical about current plans for such a facility.
By Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
