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Park Heong-joon, Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City, Orders Swift Response to Close Protection Gaps for Abandoned Animals: Over 100 Saved from Imminent “Humane Disposal”

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it has completed emergency protective measures for more than 100 abandoned animals from a privately operated animal shelter whose operations ended last December. The City supported adoptions through animal protection groups, and for animals that were not adopted, it arranged distribution to other privately operated animal shelters within the city.

There are currently five animal shelters operating within Busan Metropolitan City: Busan Animal Shelter; the Korea Association for Abandoned Animal and Animal Protection Management; the Eastern Abandoned Animal Protection Association; Cheongjo Animal Hospital; and Dong-gu General Animal Hospital.

White Dove Association, a privately operated animal shelter, ended its operations on December 31, 2025 due to internal circumstances. As a result, an emergency situation arose in which more than 100 abandoned animals that had been under protection at the facility faced a crisis of “humane disposal.”

Rescuing and protecting abandoned animals is, in principle, the responsibility of district and county governments. However, Sasang-gu, Saha-gu, and Gangseo-gu, which had previously contracted with White Dove Association, were unable to establish a protection plan for the remaining more than 100 abandoned animals due to financial constraints and other difficulties.

Accordingly, if appropriate measures were not put in place in a timely manner, it could not be ruled out that the more than 100 animals under protection would become subject to “humane disposal.”

To prevent such a tragic situation, Busan Metropolitan City worked closely with White Dove Association to promote group and individual adoptions, while taking steps to distribute animals that were not adopted to other privately operated animal shelters.

From the end of operations (December 31, 2025) through February 11, 2026, as a result of White Dove Association’s proactive efforts and the City’s support to promote adoptions, more than 70 animals found new families and left the facility.

The remaining more than 30 animals that were not adopted until the very end were distributed for protection across five privately operated animal shelters within Busan Metropolitan City: the Eastern Abandoned Animal Protection Association, Cheongjo Animal Hospital, Busan Animal Shelter, the Korea Association for Abandoned Animal and Animal Protection Management, and Dong-gu General Animal Hospital.

The abandoned animals currently being protected at the distributed privately operated shelters will continue to be placed for adoption after undergoing processes such as behavior correction, disease treatment, and grooming management. Busan Metropolitan City plans to support the related costs by using contingency funds.

Mayor Park Heong-joon said, “I extend my gratitude to the citizens and organizations who came together to rescue abandoned animals in crisis,” adding, “This case has confirmed the need for a municipally operated shelter facility. Going forward, we plan to pursue the construction of a Busan Metropolitan City-operated animal shelter and the expansion of adoption centers to enhance animal welfare and establish a stable and efficient system for rescuing and protecting abandoned animals.”