New homes, lost habitats: Korea’s redevelopment puts stray cats at risk

HANAM, Gyeonggi — At a sprawling land development site in Hanam, Gyeonggi, a stray cat warily emerged from patches of overgrown grass, drawn by the faint smell of food.

The black feline pranced toward the source of the enticing aroma, only to turn back and disappear into the dense vegetation after spotting a human in the distance. What had once been a quaint greenfield where cats roamed freely had become a deserted area filled with rubble from abandoned buildings and mounds of dug-up earth. 

Stray cats across Korea are in peril as their homes are demolished to make way for land development or housing redevelopment projects. But the humans directly involved in the development — central and local governments and construction companies — are evading efforts to save them. 

Most cats starve to death, while others die from accidents during construction, according to independent animal rescue worker Kim Se-ah, who met with the Korea JoongAng Daily at the site in Hanam on Saturday. 

“Crows are usually the first to find carcasses and feed on them,” Kim said, as a large murder of crows circled overhead, cawing loudly. “There are so many crows around here that it’s possible that they may be eating a lot of the dead cats.” 

Pointing at a partially destroyed low-rise house in the area, Kim added that three dead cats were recently found inside. 

The site is being developed as part of Gyosan New City, the government’s second-largest ongoing land development project spanning a massive former greenbelt estate of 6.86 million square meters (1,695 acres). Expected to accommodate a hefty 32,000 households upon completion in the coming years, the project has been delayed due to the recent large-scale discovery of artifacts. 

Kim has visited the site every two days since June last year to feed the feral felines, which she estimates number around 1,000. She has numerous feeding spots where she restocks food and water bowls, elaborately equipped with bug repellents and positioned to prevent attracting birds. 

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While the first cat never returned to feast on the mountain of dry kibble and canned food laid out, presumably in fear of human contact, others already familiar with Kim, such as Chichi and Sunsimi, readily appeared when called. Their respective kittens cautiously hid until Kim and this reporter backed away further. 

The Korea JoongAng Daily visited two demolition sites last week — Gyosan New City and another for the Hannam New Town project in Yongsan District, central Seoul — both of which had been cleared of most human traces in the name of development. 

Usually, the only remaining life was that of stray cats, who were fighting for survival in a place that had once been a humble home. 

When rescuing is only a recommendation 

Animal rescue is not legally required for redevelopment projects. Animal welfare activists and volunteer caregivers, often referred to as “cat moms,” say they are frustrated by the lack of cooperation from local governments, redevelopment associations and construction companies in taking steps to protect the stray cats. 

The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s ordinance on animal protection states that the mayor or district office head should “make an effort” to rescue and protect animals within redevelopment areas, but it does not specify what actions to take. 

Busan and Gyeonggi have also issued similar ordinances, but none of them are legally binding. 

Cats are naturally territorial and rarely leave their designated space, and they become easily stressed when changes occur. No matter how life-threatening the situation becomes — with walls torn down, utilities disconnected and fences trapping them inside the site — they stay put. 

Even if the cats do manage to escape, they can still fall victim to roadkill or starvation. 

Activists and cat moms have taken matters into their own hands to try to relocate the cats to other neighborhoods, but they are cautious, as it’s a lengthy process that requires patience. Forcibly transferring cats to an unfamiliar area can trigger serious fights with cats already living there and is widely regarded as animal abuse. 

But as long as necessary protocols are followed, such as continuously exposing the cats to outdoor air while they remain in temporary confinement and gradually shifting their food bowl toward the desired new territory, relocation can be successful.

Teamwork is essential, but difficult to achieve when compliance is merely encouraged rather than mandatory. 

Public perceptions are also to blame. For decades, stray cats were called “thief cats” in Korean due to their tendency to steal food and their social image as pests. It was only after 2021 that the name was designated a disparaging term by the Standard Korean Language Dictionary, and the more neutral term “street cats,” or gilgoyangi, became widely used.

“Whenever we ask relevant parties, like the construction company, the local government or the redevelopment association, for their help to save these stray cats, they either tell us that they don’t have enough budget or that they’re not legally obligated to comply with our requests,” Kim said, adding that there have been no concrete agreements made in rescuing and relocating the cats at Gyosan.

A precedent gone wrong 

Over at Bogwang-dong in Yongsan District, an estimated 100 stray cats still find shelter inside the neighborhood’s alleyways, an area classified as the second redevelopment zone of the Hannam New Town project. 

The Hannam New Town site, comprising five separate zones, will completely revamp the old, low-rise hillside neighborhood with upscale apartment complexes totaling at least 12,300 housing units overlooking the Han River in the heart of the capital.

As of Aug. 12, the relocation rate stood at 99 percent, with only a couple of households yet to move. The redevelopment association had begun blocking off the second zone with barriers in preparation for the demolition stage.

Two residents and longtime cat moms, Chung Jeong-suk and Kim Bo-kyung, stormed over to the association’s office, demanding to be allowed in to feed the cats.

“We’re simply helpless individuals. It makes me so angry just thinking about what these poor creatures are going through,” Chung said. “Are they saying that the cats remaining inside should just starve to death?”  

Association employees, however, denied being uncooperative upon a visit to their office the same day. When Chung and Kim said they needed more time to relocate the cats, an employee shook her head, saying that the association had already notified them well in advance. 

“It’s too dangerous now,” the employee said. “Even a few days ago, we had an incident where one of the building’s walls suddenly collapsed, since this is such an old neighborhood. We understand that the cats need to be removed to a safer area, but we can’t ignore the fact that the safety of the people matters more.”

Ultimately, the two sides agreed that five cat moms designated by the association, including Chung, would be allowed conditional access to some parts of the second zone. Yet, time is running out, and little progress has been made on relocating the cats. 

Negotiations have stalled due to a failed precedent set by the third zone last year. When residents moved out by July, Yongsan District Office pledged to conduct Korea’s first trap-neuter-adopt (TNA) project exclusively for the third zone. Unlike the conventional trap-neuter-release (TNR) method, TNA does not cut off the tip of the cat’s ear for identification purposes and gives them up for adoption instead of releasing them back into the wild. 

The project eventually collapsed after one of the animal rescue workers was found to have improperly claimed benefits. They had brought in stray cats from other areas despite the project being limited to cats living in the third zone and exploited loopholes in the adoption process, with the funding ultimately bottoming out, according to Patricia Kim, an independent animal rescue worker, who has been caring for the stray cats living in the Hannam New Town redevelopment site since 2024. 

“The atmosphere was different in the third zone; everyone was eager to assist,” she told the Korea JoongAng Daily, referring to the district officials, construction company and association employees. “Thankfully, we were able to relocate the cats to the adjacent second zone at the time by installing passages in the fences.” 

Pursuing reform to protect lives

Activists say a special law to protect and safely relocate animals in redevelopment areas needs to be enacted first. It would need to be specific and systematic, according to animal rights group Care’s recent protest in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul. 

Care officials on July 28 demanded that the protection of life be treated as a social responsibility and called for the following: conducting animal population surveys before projects are approved, establishing a public system for animal protection, including related costs in project budgets and aftercare for the animals.

On Aug. 8, which coincided with International Cat Day, animal rescue groups, including the Korea Association for Animal Protection, released statements pushing for stronger institutional protection for stray cats during redevelopment.

“The conventional TNR method isn’t the solution,” reads a national online petition, which had over 14,000 signatures as of Tuesday. It needs at least 50,000 for it to be reviewed by the National Assembly. “TNR is based on the premise that the cat is returned to its original habitat after surgery, but in redevelopment areas, that place no longer exists.” 

A frequently adopted solution for now is to create pet-sized passages in the construction fences to allow stray animals at demolition sites to leave, as was the case with the third zone of the Hannam New Town site.

“We should have already finished discussing where to install the passages for the second zone, but we’re at a deadlock right now,” Patricia Kim said. 

At the Gyosan New City site, Kim Se-ah said the ideal solution is to build a fenced shelter inside or near the construction site, where the large colony of cats can be housed temporarily and later released back to their original territory.

Kim is adamant that the local government and construction companies need to step in to help. Until then, she will continue to send as many cats as possible to new homes or care for them herself. 

“Less than 50 percent of stray cats on average survive after displacement because the level of stress they experience is unimaginable,” Kim said. “But it’s still better to relocate them, even if only four out of 10 make it — if we just leave them here, they will all die.” 

BY SHIN MIN-HEE [shin.minhee@joongang.co.kr]