Last November, thanks in part to your letters, FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, urged the Korean government to “put an immediate end” to the routine torture of dogs and cats as the country geared up to cohost the World Cup tournament. Since then, various Korean governmental officials have indicated that steps are being taken to address this cruelty. For example, the prime minister’s office recently announced its intention to address the mistreatment of dogs prior to slaughter; the Sungnam News reported in February that the government was planning to “crack down” on illegal sales and practices with regard to dog slaughter in Sungnam City; and in March, The Korea Herald reported that the Ministry of Agriculture plans to set up enforcement squads to monitor cruel slaughter practices and that the government is currently looking into revising the country’s animal protection law. While all of this sounds promising, it is absolutely meaningless unless tangible steps are taken and the Animal Protection Law is amended and enforced. Please see the “What You Can Do” section below to find out how you can help.
The atrocities inflicted upon dogs and cats slaughtered for human consumption in Korea are shockingly cruel: Dogs are electrocuted or are often fully conscious as they are strung up by their necks and beaten violently in order to increase the flow of adrenaline in their flesh, which is believed to increase the virility of men who eat it. Cats endure a fate just as horrific. A recent ITN news report confirms that cats are often boiled alive in order to extract their “juice” for use in medicinal “tonics.” According to the report, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals states that “cats are placed into boiling water while they are still alive. They are basically boiled to death over a long period … using pressure cookers.”
Many dogs and cats raised for consumption in Korea await this nightmarish fate on farms and in markets where they endure horrible conditions in crowded cages—often so small that standing up is impossible—without food or water for days on end. And although current Korean law technically prohibits cruelty to companion animals and denounces the consumption of dog soup, these laws are mere façades with absolutely no enforcement. Sadly, the cruel treatment of these animals continues to this day and is all too common. Please join the dozens of celebrities who have voiced their outrage over this treatment and signed PETA’s petition to the Korean president (click here to see the petition).
Please continue to urge the Korean prime minister, the minister of agriculture, and the ambassador in your country to support an amendment to the Animal Protection Act to specifically prohibit the beating, hanging, electrocution, burning, boiling alive, and all other abuse of dogs and cats. Please immediately contact:
His Excellency Kim Dae-jung
President of the Republic of Korea
The Blue House
1, Sejongno, Jongno-gu
Seoul 110-050
Republic of Korea
Tel.: 011 822 770 0011
Fax: 011 822 770 0295
E-Mail: Click here to send the president an e-mail message.
The Honorable Kim Dong-tae
Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry
Gwacheon Government Office Building
Joongang-dong
Gwancheon City
Gyeonggido Province
South Korea 427-760
E-Mail: minister@maf.go.kr
honeykim@maf.go.kr
For the contact information of Korean Embassies around the world, please click here. For the U.S. and the U.K., please see below:
The Honorable Yang Sung Chul
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea
Embassy of the Republic of Korea
2450 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
USA
Tel.: 202-939-5600
Fax: 202-232-0117
The Honorable Ra Jong-yil
Ambassador of the Republic of Korea
Embassy of the Republic of Korea
60 Buckingham Gate, London SW1E 6AJ
U.K.
Tel.: 44 (0) 20 7227-5500
Fax: 44 (0) 20 7227-5503
In the U.K., an Early Day Motion has been introduced in Parliament that condemns “extreme acts of cruelty which take place in South Korea in the killing of over two million cats and dogs annually for human consumption or human medical treatment.” If you live in the U.K., please contact your member of Parliament and ask him or her to sign on to Early Day Motion 1327, also called “Treatment of Animals in South Korea.” If you don’t know who your member of Parliament is, please click here to find out.
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