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"Pet Fam," the new norm

Nowadays in Korea, one out of 5 people have pets, with increasingly more people include their pets in the nuclear family system.

Written by
Joan Park
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Nowadays in Korea, one out of 5 people have pets, with increasingly more people include their pets in the nuclear family system. It's quite a changed new norm for the country's population, with the rise in the number of single households and couples without children serving as one of the catalysts of the phenomenon. Another sub-catalyst could be the online and offline pet adoption campaigns that have been becoming more observable and popular in the country. 
 
In this society, adopting a pet often requires an investment. And to some, purchasing pet toys, getting pets groomed at a salon and even giving them their own space in a home might seem as an extravagance. But when they're indeed one's family, such a value judgment comes last. 
 
Hence, the "pet families" make sure the pet foods they buy don’t contain any harmful ingredient; some commission a portrait of their pet, while others even get a tattoo of their pet. Quite "hip" park facilities for pets have been set up in nearby cities as well, as many of the pet owners in Seoul don't mind the time and resource that go into their pets well being (dogs can run around, exercise and even swim at these places). Fizzy spa treatments are quite popular in Seoul, as found at Hongdae’s Dorothy pet salon. Some even seek psychic help for their pets' well-being, with an "animal psychic." 
 
Quite extravagant, yes. But judging from the constantly growing market for luxury pet items, they're still "only the least" the "pet fams" can do for their furry companion.
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