Describe Korea’s pet industry in one sentence: whatever service people use, dogs use too.
There are grooming salons, daycares, hotels, and photo studios. There are dedicated taxis, swimming pools, and funeral homes. That’s not a joke — it’s a list of actual business categories.
The short answer
- The market is ₩8.5 trillion (2022) → ₩21 trillion (2032 projection). The government's target is ₩15 trillion by 2027.
- Monthly cost is ₩121,000 or ₩194,000 depending on the survey. Both are official.
- The government has named four key sectors — pet food · pet healthcare · pet services · pet tech.
The market in numbers
Why are there two cost statistics?
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs survey puts it at ₩121,000 a month, while KB Financial Group's survey says ₩194,000. The ₩70,000 gap isn't an error — it's a difference in definitions. The sample (all pet households vs. a specific sample), the included items (whether vet and grooming costs are counted), and the reference period all differ.
That's why articles quote wildly different Korean cost figures. When you cite a number, you have to check which survey it's from.
Where the money goes
💸 Monthly cost breakdown (KB 2025 Korea Pet Report)
| Item | Share |
|---|---|
| Food | 35.1% |
| Treats and supplements | 22.5% |
| Hygiene products | 10.6% |
| Grooming | 8.7% |
| Other | the rest |
This table reveals the market’s character. Treats and supplements are 22.5% — nearly two-thirds of the food budget goes to non-essentials. And grooming is its own line at 8.7%. Those two lines are what “pet humanization” actually means.
By species, dogs cost ₩161,000 a month and cats ₩142,000. The dog figure is higher mostly because of grooming. In a country where Maltese and poodles are the top breeds, grooming isn’t optional — it’s a recurring expense.
What services actually exist
Why prices are hard to know in advance
The government surveys and publishes vet fees, but there's no such statistic for grooming, daycare, or hotels. Quotes vary by breed, weight, coat condition, and area, and what's included differs by business. The only way to know the real price is to call or check a booking app before visiting.
The government made it an industry
In 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced a plan to grow the pet-related industry to ₩15 trillion by 2027. It was the turning point where pets began to be treated not just as a welfare and regulation subject but as an export industry.
🏭 The four key sectors
| Sector | Main content |
|---|---|
| Pet food | Export expansion — from $149 million to a $500 million target by 2027 |
| Pet healthcare | VAT exemption on about 100 common treatments (Oct 2023) |
| Pet services | Pet behavior instructor system introduced (Apr 2024), animal health technician system overhauled |
| Pet tech | Startup funding and market support, expanded data sharing for AI development |
What a traveler actually sees
Things you'll see in Korea
- Dog strollers — you'll definitely see one within 30 minutes on the café streets of Yeonnam-dong or Seongsu-dong. It's the item that first outsold baby strollers in 2023.
- Groomed dogs — most Korean small dogs get regular grooming. The consistent-looking coats aren't a coincidence.
- Pet-friendly shops — look for a paw-print sticker or a "pets welcome" sign at the entrance. No sign means it's safer to assume pets aren't allowed.
- If you want to board a pet — pet hotels and daycares take short-term boarding, but they require proof of vaccination and fill up early in peak season.
Korea’s pet-industry growth curve interlocks with its birth-rate curve like a mirror. Analysts keep pointing out that money leaving the baby-products market flowed straight into this one. The strangeness a foreigner feels at their first dog stroller in Seoul is, in fact, close to witnessing Korea’s demographic structure.
Sources
- Samjong KPMG Economic Research Institute — domestic pet market ₩8.5 trillion (2022) → ₩21 trillion (2032 projection), pet population 6.35 million (2018) → 7.99 million (2022)
- Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, "Plan to Foster the Pet-Related Industry" (Aug 2023) — ₩15 trillion target by 2027, four key sectors, pet food exports $149 million → $500 million, behavior instructor system (Apr 2024), VAT exemption on common treatments (Oct 2023)
- KB Financial Group Management Research Institute, "2025 Korea Pet Report" — monthly cost ₩194,000 (+26%), dogs ₩161,000 · cats ₩142,000, breakdown (food 35.1% · treats and supplements 22.5% · hygiene 10.6% · grooming 8.7%)
- Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, "2025 Pet Ownership Survey" — monthly cost ₩121,000
- No official statistics exist for grooming, daycare, and hotel prices