The phenomenon of thinking of pets as family and treating them like humans is now widespread in South Korea.

As of the earlier of march, 2021, the number of pet owners in South Korea was 14.48 million,

with over one in four Koreans living with pets.
In September 2021, the Italian restaurant "Odette" in Haeundae, became famous for its "dog steak."

Guests who come to this restaurant with their dogs sit at the table and have a meal together,

as if they were meeting friends or family members.
Consumers who want to feed their pets with 100 percent human-grade ingredients are also increasing.

As a result, the K-Pet Food industry has diversified into premium products. Customized products with different nutritional compositions for pets of different ages and types are on the rise.

Moreover, traditional health food companies are entering the K-Pet Food market based on their existing manufacturing and research capabilities.
The number of companies in the animal feed and functional food manufacturing industry increased by over 12 percent from 1,633 in 2020 to 1,831 in 2021.

Wooriwa company was launched as a pet specialty company in 2018. In 2014, they developed organic prescription pet food, including Probest, Iskhan, and Wealtz. In 2014, Korea's largest seafood company, Dongwon F&B, launched the pet food brand "Nutriplan." Last year, they released two types of premium wet canned food for dogs, "Holic" (white tuna and vegetables/fruits, and chicken breast and vegetables/fruits). Korean Yakult also launched a pet
brand called "Petkult" last month, and Pulmuone Health Life, Goobne, Genesis BBQ, and others are
entering the pet food market.
"BetterPet" is a pet food brand of Procell Company, a small and medium-sized R&D-centered company that
has been researching human dementia. In 2021, they launched a pet food brand, "BetterPet." This company,
which has developed natural materials for dementia treatments, has launched the first-ever functional pet
food for dogs with cognitive dysfunction. "Getdog" for dogs and "Catyum" for cats, both are wet foods.
Many small and medium-sized companies are competing to release their own specialized products.
As a result of the growth of K-Pet Food, driven by the pet culture and pet-humanization trend in South
Korea, the market size, product diversity, and quality level are developing at a rapid pace.