Redevelopment is a familiar sight in Seoul. Old buildings are demolished, residents move away, and new apartments and streets take their place. But even after people leave, there are lives that remain behind.
YongsanCats, which works in redevelopment areas including Bogwang-dong and Hannam-dong, rescues street cats left vulnerable by these changes. When residents move away, long-established feeding spots disappear, and cats can lose access to familiar shelters even before demolition begins.
YongsanCats is an independent street-cat rescue effort led by Julie Choi. Its work begins with field observation and humane trapping, followed by veterinary care, foster placement, and adoption. The group also records individual cats by name and photograph.
As of August 31, 2026, more than 200 rescue-cat profiles are listed in its public system, with around 50 currently recorded as being in foster care. These figures reflect public profiles and do not represent every cat YongsanCats has helped or every cat still living in redevelopment areas.
Among those records are the stories of Ara, Jennie, and Starlight.
ARA
A Mother Rescued Before Demolition
Ara was found pregnant in a redevelopment area in Yongsan.
She had been living with other cats in and around a partially collapsed building and may have been left behind when a former household moved away. Her companions were rescued first, but Ara repeatedly avoided the trap. Eventually, she was left alone near the demolition site.
After she was finally rescued and moved into foster care, another crisis began.
During labour, one kitten died shortly after birth, while Ari survived. Another kitten died before delivery. Ara ultimately required an emergency caesarean section and spay in the early hours of the morning.
While Ara recovered, newborn Ari was temporarily cared for by a human foster. They were reunited the following day, and Ara immediately accepted her baby.
Soon afterwards, another situation arose. Five premature kittens born to a street cat injured in a traffic accident needed a nursing mother. Still recovering from surgery herself, Ara accepted all five. Two survived, and they are now being raised alongside Ari as one family.
Ara and the three kittens are currently together in foster care. Gentle but shy, Ara needs a permanent home with someone willing to give her time. YongsanCats hopes she can eventually be adopted together with one of the kittens she raised.
Pregnant Ara at a Yongsan redevelopment site before rescue. Photograph courtesy of YongsanCats. Credit to Belluga.
JENNIE “SUNDOLE”
The Cat Who Came When Called
Jennie, also known as Sundole, had a familiar person in the neighbourhood who had known him for years.
It was a neighbourhood caregiver known as the “Cat Father,” who had looked after cats in the local alleys for more than twenty years. Jennie explored the streets with his brother, Hoedole, gradually learning the routines of the people who fed and watched over them.
For a cat living on the street, Jennie was unusually responsive to people. When someone familiar called his name, he would often approach with a small meow.
On the day of his rescue, there was no need to chase or corner him.
The Cat Father called his name, and Jennie came.
Since moving into foster care, Jennie has shown strong social skills with other cats. His calm and confident nature often helps more cautious cats relax. He is playful, curious, and engaged, although he is still learning to fully trust human touch.
He currently lives with Caramel, who has become like a brother, and the pair are waiting for a home where they can be adopted together.
Jennie’s story shows what years of consistent neighbourhood care can mean. His rescue was possible not because his caution suddenly disappeared, but because over time, one human voice had become part of his map of safety.
Jennie, also known as Sundole, is in foster care with Caramel and is available for pair adoption. Photograph courtesy of YongsanCats.
STARLIGHT
The Person Who Returned Every Day for More Than a Year
Starlight is a white cat believed to have been left behind after a former resident moved away.
In the alley, she formed a close bond with a calico cat named Moonlight. The two lived together for approximately seven or eight years, relying on the same feeding spots and shelters.
As redevelopment advanced, their caregiver also had to leave the neighbourhood.
But the care did not end there.
Even after moving away, the caregiver returned to the old neighbourhood every day after work for more than a year to bring Starlight food and water. During that time, the redevelopment area became increasingly hazardous, with rubbish and sharp debris accumulating while familiar places to hide gradually disappeared.
Then Moonlight vanished. After being missing for more than six months, she eventually returned in very poor condition.
YongsanCats helped rescue both cats, but Moonlight died from heartworm disease three days after being rescued. Starlight survived the loss of her longtime companion and continued through treatment and foster care.
After years outdoors, she remains understandably cautious around people, but she has begun to accept gentle touch from her foster caregiver. She continues to receive treatment for pancreatitis and requires a special diet. Starlight, too, is waiting for a permanent home.
Starlight in foster care after years outdoors and the loss of her long-term companion. Photograph courtesy of YongsanCats.
THE PEOPLE WHO STAY
YongsanCats is not a staffed animal shelter.
People who have watched neighbourhood cats for years know which cats usually appear and how they move through the area. Residents and shopkeepers share sightings when construction changes a cat’s usual route. Veterinary clinics treat rescued cats, foster caregivers provide space for recovery and help them adjust to indoor life, and adopters offer permanent homes to cats that cannot safely return to redevelopment sites.
In neighbourhoods changing this quickly, even a small detail can matter. An untouched bowl of food or a cat hiding somewhere unfamiliar can become the clue that tells rescuers where to search next.
Across Seoul, old neighbourhoods continue to disappear and new ones take their place. For people, redevelopment may mean moving house and watching new buildings rise. But for animals that have made those alleys their home, it can mean losing familiar food, shelter, and the people who have cared for them all at once.
The tension between what disappears and what remains can be seen across Seoul. For another look at a neighbourhood facing that uncertainty, read Before Euljiro Changes Again: Seoul’s Retro Bookstores, LP Shops, and Creative Spaces.
The stories of Ara, Jennie, and Starlight reveal another side of urban change that is easy to overlook.
Even after a neighbourhood disappears, the lives that once called it home leave stories behind.
COURTESY OF YongsanCats