Seoul City launches subsidized pet cremation service

A pet funeral assistant respectfully handles an urn containing the cremated remains of a deceased pet at a crematorium. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

By Ko Dong-hwan

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has launched a new bundle of services for pet owners who wish to cremate their pets but face difficulties due to cost and logistics.

Launched on Monday, the service is reserved for the city's socially and economically disadvantaged including those receiving a basic necessities subsidy, households with a single-parent and senior citizens who live alone without regular income.

Collaborating with the Korea Animal Funeral Association, the welfare policy is the first of its kind ever launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Running as a trial until December, the service is limited to 600 pets.

The service has been launched to address the fact that there is no crematorium in the city but rather only outside Seoul in areas of Gyeonggi Province such as Incheon or Gimpo. The inconvenience weighs particularly on senior citizens without personal vehicles. Cremation fees calculated by weight, ranging from 200,000 ($154) to 550,000 won per kilogram, are also relatively hefty for cash-strapped individuals.

The city government's new service saves bereaved pet owners the trouble of traveling to a crematorium and the associated financial burden.

Upon calling Seoul-based Korea Pet Funeral Culture Center, a pet funeral assistant member visits an owner's home, takes the deceased pet, keeps it refrigerated and transports it to one of the six crematoriums in Gyeonggi Province that have signed a partnership with the city government.

A pet funeral assistant places a box containing a deceased pet into a vehicle to transport it to a crematorium. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Subsidies from the service cover a surcharge for the pet funeral assistant delivering a deceased pet to a crematorium, which is about 50,000 to 70,000 won. The partner crematoriums also provide a 70,000 won discount for cremating each pet.

The service from the Animal Protection Division under the city government's Parks and Recreation Bureau comes as over 22 percent of the city population have pets according to a 2022 survey conducted by the city authority. But despite the significant portion, the country's current law stipulates that dead pet animals be discarded in a trash bag for general waste that ends up in local incinerators ― a law that fails to address the emotional stress of bereft pet owners.

According to a 2021 survey conducted by the city authority, among the city's pet owners, 47 percent took their pets to crematoriums and over 13 percent dumped the animals in trash bags. Nationwide, the figures come to 30 percent for crematorium users and 6 percent for those disposing of their deceased pets via general waste disposal.

The city authority, with the latest pet welfare service, wishes to propagate the cremation service for pet owners to give them a more dignified option than simply disposing of their deceased pet in the trash.

Yoo Young-bong, chief of the Parks and Recreation Bureau, said that pets hold increased significance to the city's vulnerable groups and the owners should be able to bid farewell to their pets peacefully in a properly arranged funeral.

The latest service, he added, will hopefully prevent people from treating their dead pets as waste and encourage them to respect the lives of animals through developing a social awareness around pet funerals.