Ready, set, fetch! Sohn Kee-chung Park in Seoul to host pet fest
Summary
Jung District will hold the 2026 Jung District Happy Together Pet Festival on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at the soccer field in Sohn Kee-chung Sports Park in central Seoul. The program includes dog sports, agility demonstrations, pet health consultations and activities promoting animal adoption and responsible pet ownership. Most programs accept walk-in participants, while three activities require advance registration.
Key Facts
- As of Sept. 10, the district had 9,753 registered dogs and 430 registered cats, and separate household data showed about three in 10 residents lived with a pet.
- The dog olympics will include a 20-meter sprint and an obedience contest, and the official opening ceremony is scheduled for 2 p.m.
- Korea’s national dog sports team will demonstrate agility on a timed obstacle course, and the festival will also feature a Frisbee-catching competition.
- Advance registration is required for the happy walk, dog olympics and children’s dog sports, using a QR code on promotional materials.
A promotional poster for the 2026 Jung District Happy Together Pet Festival / Courtesy of Jung District Office
Jung District in central Seoul will hold a pet festival on Saturday featuring a dog sports competition, agility demonstrations and free health consultations for pets, the district office said Tuesday.
The 2026 Jung District Happy Together Pet Festival will run from noon to 4 p.m. on the soccer field at Sohn Kee-chung Sports Park. The park is named after the Korean runner who won the marathon competition at the 1936 Berlin Olympics while Korea was under Japanese colonial rule.
As of Sept. 10, 183 pets were registered in the district: 9,753 dogs and 430 cats. Separate household data shows about three in 10 district residents live with a pet.
The festival will open with a “happy walk,” in which owners walk their pets around the park and pick up litter. A “dog olympics” follows, involving a 20-meter sprint and an obedience contest.
The official opening ceremony begins at 2 p.m. Korea’s national dog sports team will demonstrate their agility on a timed obstacle course. There will also be a Frisbee-catching competition and children will get to try dog sports with the animals.
A quiz on pet care and etiquette for pet owners in public spaces will also be held.
Booths will offer health consultations with veterinarians, tips from professional groomers, dog massage sessions and custom ID tags in case pets go missing. Visitors can also get caricatures and profile photos of their pets. The district will also promote the adoption of abandoned animals and remind owners to register their pets.
Most programs are open to walk-in participants. The happy walk, dog olympics and children’s dog sports require advance registration through a QR code, which can be found on promotional materials. More details are available at junggupet.imweb.me.
“When pets are happy, the daily lives of the residents who live with them can become happier too,” Jung District head Kim Kil-sung said.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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