Iksan & Gyeongju are among top pet-friendly tourism cities in Korea in 2025. Plan the ultimate getaway with pet-friendly accommodations, cafes, and scenic spots!
South Korea is becoming increasingly friendly to travelers with pets. Cities in Korea are offering a variety of pet-friendly destinations, accommodations, and activities. To reflect the efforts towards the same, the Culture Ministry and the Korea Tourism Organization have selected Iksan (North Jeolla) and Gyeongju (North Gyeongsang) as the country’s official “Pet-friendly Tourism Cities” for 2025.
A recent survey by the Korea Tourism Organization revealed that a whopping 74.1 percent of pet owners have taken their furry friends on trips, up from 69 percent last year. As more people are traveling with their dogs, the Tourism Ministry is taking action to enhance the country’s tourism infrastructure to make it a paw-some experience for both travelers and their pets.
“Pet-friendly Tourism City” Program
The government will give 2.5 billion won ($1.7 million) over next four years to the selected cities in funding. Cities can use these funds to make improvements in accommodation, food, and transportation options to serve tourists with pets.
This initiative to create cities where pet owners can travel with their furry friends and have a blast started in 2023. These cities have the best accommodations, fun activities for pet friends, and all the attractions you can enjoy with your pets.
Iksan city is planning to build a dog park and a pet-friendly camping spot that even offers yoga sessions with dogs!
Meanwhile, the historic city of Gyeongju is working on a big pet-friendly theme park right in the Bomun Tourism Complex. They’ll also create a beautiful pet-friendly walking trail around Bomun Lake and make sure cafes are pet-friendly too.
Past Pet-Friendly Tourism Cities in Korea
In 2023, Ulsan and Taean (South Chungcheong) were selected as pet-friendly cities. Pocheon (Gyeonggi) and Suncheon (South Jeolla) were selected in 2024.
As of now, there are six cities in Korea that offer pet-friendly tourism options. According to director of Tourism Policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kim Jung-hun, “With six cities now designated as pet-friendly destinations, we aim to create meaningful, large-scale initiatives that go beyond short-term attractions. This year, we are not only introducing new tourism content, but also focusing on improving infrastructure to ensure a comfortable and accessible environment for travelers with dogs.”
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