SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Presidential hopefuls are competing over the votes of 15 million pet owners in South Korea.
Gyeonggi Gov. Lee Jae-myung, the current front-runner among the ruling Democratic Party (DP)’s presidential contenders, has carried out various initiatives for pets including the establishment of pet playground and cat adoption centers, as well as overseeing neutering projects for stray cats as governor.
Rep. Lee Nak-yon, former chief of the DP and another ruling camp’s presidential hopeful, is also preparing policies for pets.
Last June, Lee and his wife Kim Suk-hee visited a local pet playground in Seoul. Last month, they joined other pet owners in a pet-walking challenge to walk their dog.
Presidential aspirants from the main opposition People Power Party are more active in communication through pets online.
Ex-Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, the leading opposition presidential contender, has seven pets. One of them, named ‘Tori,’ was adopted from an animal protection facility, and has its own social media account.
Choe Jae-hyeong, former chief of the Board of Audit and Inspection, raises ‘Mindulae,’ his cat companion. Mindulae is 19 years old, which is almost 100 years old in human age.
Image Credit: Gyeonggi Provincial Office / Lee Nak-yon / Yoon Seok-youl / photonews@koreabizwire.com
