Hello!
To everyone who has visited the Korea Animal Protection Society,
I am Choi Jeong-a, President of the association.

I believe that you have come here because you feel compassion for the animals around us who suffer, and because you wish to show them care and lend them a helping hand. I feel the same way.
Looking back, since childhood I always had the desire to rescue and help animals in pain. Yet I often tried not to pay attention to them, thinking that the world would not change just because of my efforts alone. Rather than confronting suffering, I sometimes tried to run away from it. Perhaps I spent my childhood lacking the courage to face such painful realities.

However, fate works in mysterious ways. Today, as the President of the Korea Animal Protection Society, I live a special life in which I share the pain of hearing about animals who suffer every day, while also sharing the joy of seeing rescued animals become happy again.
Although a life spent more with animals than with people can sometimes be difficult and exhausting, it is also true that I often feel deep gratitude for the joy and happiness they bring.
The Korea Animal Protection Society is a non-profit organization that was officially approved in 1991 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry as the first animal protection organization in Korea.
Our mission is to improve the living conditions of animals that suffer by preventing acts of cruelty and by providing proper protection and care for abandoned animals. We also strive to preserve endangered animals and to promote compassion and respect within our society through practical animal protection activities.

Based on this founding purpose, we currently operate two private animal shelters in Daegu, both of which are Limited admission shelters that do not practice euthanasia.
To achieve these goals, the association carries out the following activities.

1. Prioritizing the protection of animals in distress
2. Education, awareness, and public outreach related to animal protection
3. Publishing printed materials and association journals related to animal protection and education
4. Preventing diseases and providing treatment for animals under our care
5. Promoting and providing spay and neuter surgeries to reduce the number of abandoned dogs and cats
6. Establishing and operating animal shelters
7. Cooperating with animal protection organizations abroad

Since its founding in 1991, our association has become one of the oldest first-generation non-profit animal protection organizations in Korea.
Over the years, many things have happened. At one time, we even temporarily managed the city’s stray animal program at the request of the Daegu municipal government. With the help of many supporters, we succeeded in building a shelter, though at times it had to close due to financial difficulties.
After many challenges and hardships, we eventually opened the new shelter that operates today.

As time has passed, public awareness and concern for animal protection have grown. Today, more people recognize that animals deserve happiness as well, and this has made the work of animal protection somewhat less difficult than in the past.
Our founder, Honorary Chairperson Kum Sun-nan, was often criticized in the 1990s simply for speaking out about animal protection during a time when life was difficult even for people.
Over the years, the status of animal protection in Korea has changed significantly. Although we still have a long way to go, we have also seen gradual improvements such as stronger animal protection laws. Many things that once seemed impossible when I was young have become reality over time. I deeply admire the countless people who have worked tirelessly to make these changes possible.
And to all of you, including myself, who must continue this work together in the future, I would like to ask for your support.
The road toward animal protection in Korea is still long and our progress may seem slow, but if we continue moving forward without stopping, I firmly believe that the world we hope for—a world where animals and humans live happily together—will one day come.
Let us move forward with that belief. And may our passion and efforts one day create a world where not only people but also animals can live happy lives, a world we can proudly pass on to future generations.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all those who have supported the Korea Animal Protection Association so far,
and I kindly ask for your continued encouragement and support.
Thank you.