Seoul Animal Care Center will open Saturday, providing one-stop services from medical treatments to adoption and education programs, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. 

The first of its kind in the country, the center aims to manage abandoned pets in the city and provide education to owners on animal protection and training for misbehaving pets. 

The city government partnered with experts of veterinary medicine from Konkuk University and Seoul National University to provide better animal treatment services, officials said. 

“With 1 in 5 households in Seoul living with a pet, there are over 10 million pet owners in Korea and that number continues to grow fast. But public services for animal welfare have been at a very low standard,” said the city government. 

Officials cited the 2016 Seoul Survey that showed 93 percent of Seoul citizens supported the establishment of a city-run animal welfare center, while 9 in 10 of those who do not own pets also supported its establishment. 

The center will also conduct emergency rescues of abandoned animals on the street, with help of other animal rights groups. Rescued animals will go through medical examinations for infectious diseases and receive the corresponding treatment. 

The center’s adoption program offers counseling and education for wannabe pet owners. Those who are interested can visit the center or its website at cafe.naver.com/seoulanimalcare.

The center opens from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Tuesdays.

“Seoul City will continue to make efforts to spread a culture for animal companions and humans to co-exist in our society, while promoting correct ‘petiquette’ -- the proper way to control and handle a pet -- to pet owners,” said Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. 

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)