Dog owners collect trash along Yangjae Stream in Seoul as part of a local volunteer cleanup walk, Saturday. Courtesy of Seoul Gangnam District OfficeIn Gangnam, a district better known for sleek skyscrapers and luxury shopping than street cleanup, local canines are stepping up to tackle litter — one walk at a time.The Gangnam District Office and the Gangnam Volunteer Center on Tuesday officially launched the Daeng-Daeng Plogging Volunteer Corps, a civic initiative pairing dog owners with their four-legged companions to clean up neighborhood streets.The concept behind “plogging” — a trend that combines jogging or walking with picking up trash — has been given a distinctly local twist. Gangnam boasts the highest number of registered pet dogs among all Seoul districts, with nearly 47,000 registered pups. Recognizing an untapped workforce, district officials decided to turn routine daily walks into community service.The inaugural cohort features 56 teams comprising 77 owners and 56 enthusiastic dogs. Through December, these human-canine duos will patrol their neighborhoods at least once a week, collecting stray litter along their routes. To track their impact, participants post before-and-after photos online, logging their hours into a national volunteer portal.Beyond sprucing up the sidewalks, the program aims to champion responsible pet ownership. As the dogs hunt for trash, owners are expected to lead by example — adhering to leash etiquette and diligently picking up after their pets in shared public spaces, according to the district office.To keep spirits high, the district plans to highlight standout performers on the volunteer center’s archive. Outstanding teams will earn special perks, culminating at the Gangnam Volunteer Awards in December, where the most dedicated handlers will be officially crowned as the district’s inaugural Volunteering Dog Owners of the Year.“A simple walk with a pet can blossom into a meaningful contribution to our local environment,” said Kim Hyun-ki, mayor of Gangnam District. “We will continue expanding accessible, everyday volunteer opportunities for pet-owning families.”With tails wagging and litter bags in hand, Gangnam’s newest volunteers prove that keeping a neighborhood pristine is best done with a best friend by your side.This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.