Kingsley, a Sapsaree, poses for a photo after joining the “Good Pet” donation program at Gyeongsan City Hall in North Gyeongsang on Sept. 4.COMMUNITY CHEST OF KOREA'S NORTH GYEONGSANG BRANCH
GYEONGSAN, North Gyeongsang — A shaggy Sapsaree named Kingsley walked into a meeting room at Gyeongsan City Hall in North Gyeongsang on Friday with his owners. Around his neck hung a name tag reading “Kingsley.”
The native Korean dog, a breed designated as Natural Monument No. 368, walked out with another title: Gyeongsan’s first “Good Pet.”
The “Good Pet” program, run by the Community Chest of Korea’s North Gyeongsang branch, allows pet owners to make regular donations of at least 20,000 won ($15) a month in their pets’ names. Kingsley joined the program after his owners pledged a monthly donation.
Kingsley lives with Kim Han-a, an outside director of the Korean Sapsaree Foundation, and her husband Paul Zilkha, a promotional ambassador for the foundation.
Kingsley is something of a celebrity itself. Kingsley has appeared on the EBS television program “There Are No Bad Dogs in the World” (2015-), in which different dog owners discuss ways to better train their dogs. Kingsley also has its own YouTube channel.
The couple decided to join the program as a way of giving back to their community after the happiness Kingsley has brought them and the affection Kingsley has received from others. Donations raised through the program are used to support pets belonging to vulnerable households and people who fall through gaps in the welfare system.
“We wanted to share with the community the happiness we’ve found living with Kingsley and the love so many people have shown our dog,” Kim and Zilkha said. “Now that Kingsley has become Gyeongsan’s first Good Pet, we hope to inspire other pet owners to join in the good effort as well.”
Kingsley and his family attended a ceremony marking his enrollment in the program on Friday.
Kingsley in the wildCOMMUNITY CHEST OF KOREA'S NORTH GYEONGSANG BRANCH
Participants said Kingsley’s enrollment was particularly meaningful because the Sapsaree is both a native breed closely associated with Gyeongsan and a designated natural monument, bringing together a local cultural symbol and charitable giving through pets.
The enrollment also follows a recent agreement between the Community Chest of Korea’s North Gyeongsang branch and the North Gyeongsang Veterinary Medical Association to promote charitable giving involving pets and broader social contribution efforts.
“It is especially meaningful that the Sapsaree, a natural monument that has long been part of Gyeongsan’s history, is now taking part in giving back to the community,” Gyeongsan Mayor Cho Hyeon-il said. “We will work to make Gyeongsan a city where people and animals can share in the happiness of giving.”
Kingsley, named Gyeognsan's first "Good Pet"COMMUNITY CHEST OF KOREA'S NORTH GYEONGSANG BRANCH
“We are grateful to have Kingsley join us in such a meaningful act of giving as Gyeongsan’s first Good Pet and North Gyeongsang’s first Good Pet designated as a natural monument,” Son Byung-il, the secretary-general of the Community Chest of Korea's North Gyeongsang Branch, said. “We hope this will help turn people’s love for their pets into generosity toward their neighbors and spread a wider culture of giving.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
