6 Korean celebrities who adopted abandoned dogs, from Blackpink’s Rosé and Netflix’s Sweet Home star Lee Do-hyun, to former Wanna One member Yoon Ji-sung

Nov 8 , 2021

K-stars Blackpink’s Rosé, Yoon Ji-sung, Lee Do-hyun and Dawn all adopted dogs. Photos: @roses_are_rosie_, @_yoonj1sung__, @ldh_sky_, @hyojong_/Instagram,

Celebrities are incredibly influential, there’s no doubt about that. Many stars use their platforms to raise funds or showcase their volunteer work, then encourage their fans to do the same. One issue in particular that’s been tugging on the heartstrings of Korean stars is abandoned dogs, and the celebrities on this list have not only given them loving homes, but raised awareness about the issue with heartwarming posts on social media.

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Blackpink’s Rosé and Hank

Blackpink’s Rosé adopted Hank from an animal shelter in Gangneung, South Korea. Photo: @roses_are_rosie_/Instagram

If you are either a fan of Blackpink or dogs in general, you might already know about Rosé’s furry friend, Hank, who even has his own Instagram account @hank_says_hank. The adorable puppy is among the many pets owned by the girl group members.

Rosé celebrated the arrival of adopted puppy Hank. Photo: @hank_says_hank_/Instagram

Hank was staying at an animal shelter in Gangneung, South Korea, after being abandoned by its owner, and Rosé decided to adopt him last December. She even celebrated Hank’s arrival in his new home with a “welcome” sign made out of paper. Many fans fell in love with Hank at first sight – and his adorable blue shirt in the photo definitely helped!

Rosé’s adopted puppy Hank is a celebrity in his own right who gets gifts from luxury brands. Photo: @hank_says_hank_/Instagram

Hank is now known as a celebrity dog who even gets gifts from luxury brands, including Saint Laurent’s pet carrier and Tiffany & Co.’s dog bowl.

Lee Do-hyun and his Welsh corgi Ga Eul

Sweet Home star Lee Do-hyun is a proud dad of a welsh corgi called Ga Eul. Photo: @ldh_sky_/Instagram

Sweet Home and Youth of May star Lee Do-hyun is the warm-hearted dad of a cute Welsh corgi called Ga Eul, which means autumn in Korean. According to News Report, he adopted Ga Eul in November 2018, and she got her name because of the timing.

Lee openly talks about how much he loves Ga Eul in various interviews – even during his acceptance speech when he won the award for best new actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards in 2021.

He even introduced Ga Eul, who once visited the set of Youth of May, by saying: “She’s my daughter. I think she knows how to enjoy being on camera.” Go Min-si, the other lead actress of the drama, tried to get Ga Eul to shake hands with her, but the doggy diva refused.

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Hyuna and Dawn, and Haenim

Dawn with his adopted puppy Haenim. Photo: @hyojong_/Instagram

Hyuna and Dawn – who have been dating for six years, making them one of K-pop’s longest lasting couples – adopted a dog and named him Haenim, which means sunbeam in Korean, in December 2019. Dawn first shared the news with the public through an Instagram post, saying, “Take good care of them. They’re our baby now.” In a video, Hyuna was seen happily petting the dog and in another post, Dawn was smiling while hugging the puppy.

According to AllKpop, a day after the post was shared, the couple’s agency P Nation confirmed the news by adding, “There is an animal shelter in Nowon-gu that the couple often went to, and they decided to adopt when the dog caught their eye.”

Hyuna is known to be a pet-lover who cares about abandoned dogs. She even appeared in a campaign for the adoption of rescue dogs and donated all of the money she made from the campaign to an animal protection organisation, according to AllKpop.

Lee Hyo-ri and Soonshim

Lee Hyo-ri and her beloved furry friend Soonshim. Photo: @GimbapBlog2/Twitter

Lee Hyo-ri’s long-time beloved pet, Soonshim, sadly passed away last December. Back in 2010, Lee adopted Soonshim from Princess Pyeonggang Animal Shelter – right before Soonshim was expected to be euthanised, according to AllKpop. After the adoption, Soonshim became a celebrity doggy who even appeared in Lee’s published essay and in many of her magazine photoshoots.

Lee Hyo-ri’s adopted dog Soonshim passed away in December 2020. Photo: @allkpop/Twitter

After 10 years of friendship, Soonshim passed away in December 2020. During her appearance on SBS’ Animal Farm, Lee opened up about how sad she was, saying she knew “treatment would be difficult for Soonshim” and that she was “crying my eyes out”.

“When you watch those videos of me and Soonshim, it appears as if I am the one who is ill,” she said.

Rest in peace, Soonshim!

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Yoon Ji-sung and Vero

Former Wanna One star Yoon Ji-sung with his adopted dog Vero. Photo: @_yoonj1sung__/Instagram

Former Wanna One star Yoon Ji-sung finally decided to adopt a rescue dog after learning about them for a year and a half! This cute furry friend named Vero became a part of Yoon’s family earlier this year in February.

Yoon Ji-sung learned about dogs for over a year before adopting one of his own. Photo: @_yoonj1sung__/Instagram

In an Instagram post, he said he said he had “given careful thought about living with a dog at home for about a year” and he also that he had “studied dogs”.

“Vero was saved from a container. After some time at the shelter, he met a very nice temporary caretaker, then he came to me,” said Yoon. In April, he even took magazine shots for Allure Korea with his beloved Vero.

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K-pop idols

Yoon’s rescue pup Vero appeared in an Allure Korea photoshoot, while Rosé’s Instagram-famous Hank has scored gifts from Tiffany & Co. and YSL
K-pop power couple Hyuna and Dawn adopted Haenim in 2019, while Youth of May star Lee named his corgi Ga Eul after the month of autumn