Korean Update

[Guest guest]

Dear Friends,

 

Before you read this update, please allow me the opportunity to express my

deepest and most heartfelt condolences for the atrocities that took place

this past Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City and Washington, DC. No

words can express the pain that the U.S. is suffering at the hands of the

most brutal terrorists imaginable. To anyone who has lost someone close to

them because of these unconscionable acts, please know that the world

grieves with you, not only on this international day of mourning, but also

for years to come. May we get through this together and pray that this

never, EVER befalls any country ever, EVER again. God give us strength and

help us all.

 

Sincerely,

 

Kyenan

 

 

_____

 

 

To all of you who have been so very supportive of our cause, there have been

some very encouraging developments that have transpired over the last month

or so. I thought long and hard about sending this out now and almost

decided not to. Then I thought that perhaps we could all use some positive

news to hopefully lighten this very, very dark period in our lives. I hope

you agree. If not, please forgive my insensitivity.

 

_____

 

 

 

After a very successful international campaign on July 16th, in which many

demonstrations took place all over the world, Sunnan Kum of Korea Animal

Protection Society (KAPS) received a second phone call from the Ministry of

Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) asking us to stop any further demonstrations.

They agreed to create a plan that would protect the dogs and cats in Korea.

A few days ago, we also received an email from the MAF reiterating their

position. A translation of their email is attached.

 

 

 

KAPS has also been protesting the Jeju Provincial Government and the MAF for

giving a dog dealer the legal permission to build a dog farm for human

consumption. This too, is addressed in the attached email. We expect to

receive a more concrete letter in September.

 

 

 

This is the first supportive response we've received from the MAF since we

started this international campaign. However, Sunnan and I are not

satisfied with just a letter. We demand that the MAF either introduce a

BRAND NEW law or STRENGTHEN the existing one to clearly, without any shadow

of a doubt or any room for interpretation, classify cats and dogs as

COMPANION ANIMALS THAT SHOULD NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BE RAISED,

TORTURED AND/OR SLAUGHTERED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION. We also demand that they

amend and toughen their measures for enforcing the law so that there is

absolute zero tolerance for anyone who breaks the law. This is only the

FIRST step. Until this actually materializes however, we will continue to

press ahead with our international campaign and demonstrations around the

world.

 

 

 

To this end, the following is a list of upcoming demonstrations. Two were

planned for New York City but in light of what took place on Tuesday, they

are being postponed until a later date. We will keep you informed.

 

 

 

For anyone living in the following areas, please come out and help make our

presence known. Your presence and support is greatly needed and most

appreciated. If you are able to make it, please bring as many people as

possible. The following dates are:

 

 

 

Sept. 25, 1:00 PM in front of Korean Embassy in Brussels, Belgium (with a

press conference).

Sept. 26, 1:00 PM in front of Korean Embassy in Den Haag, Netherlands.

 

 

Again, please come out if you can. As you will read in the attached

statement, your support is making ALL the difference. It's putting immense

pressure on the government to do something. We need to keep that pressure

on. We need to keep building the momentum. I hope to see you there!

 

 

 

The following is the translation of the email letter sent by the Ministry of

Agriculture.

__________

 

 

 

On Aug. 18th, 2001, Daehan Daily reported in its first page that Cheju

Island gave permission for the first breeding facility of dogs for human

consumption. Considering this article could mistakenly give the impression

that a local self-government could issue their own license for opening up a

dog breeding farm for human consumption, the Ministry of Agriculture and

Fisheries (MAF) immediately called President Sunnan Kum of Korea Animal

Protection Society and explained the MAF's position regarding dog and cat

meat.

 

Licensing rights to buildings and land belong to mayors and county

magistrates. And the right to investigate and overturn the decisions by them

belongs to provincial governors according to the articles 155, 156 and 157

of the Local Autonomy Law. Therefore, the MAF has already ordered that the

permission for the dog breeding facility and land in Northern Cheju County

be investigated by September 30, 2001, and be reversed if there has been any

regulation violations or illegal activities. In addition, we have forwarded

petitions from animal rights activists to the Cheju Governor's Office that

oversees Northern Cheju County. We would like you to know that this move

was intended to let the county officials know about the concerns and

requests of animal rights activists.

 

The MAF will inform cities and counties that they are not to license dog

breeding houses for dog meat or permit them to take in abandoned dogs and

cats.

 

 

 

The Korean government wants to stop further criticism from animal rights

activists from some Western countries including England, the US and

Australia regarding dog and cat meat consumption. They believe that

criticism from abroad as well as the TV broadcasting of the Korean dog

markets greatly damage Korea's image. They are concerned about the negative

effects this will have on the 2002 Soccer World Cup and that it could lead

to boycotts against Korean goods.

 

 

 

So, the government has decided to take the following measures to deal with

the illegal dog meat problems:

 

 

 

Any kind of food to be sold to the public must be licensed or registered

according to the Food Sanitation Law. In addition, articles 31 and 42 of

the same law classify dog meat stew and dog juice as disgusting foods and

therefore, ban the manufacturing or selling of them. Also, article 6 of the

Animal Protection Law bans the killing of an animal without a rational

reason and forbids the abusing or killing of an animal in a cruel and

disgusting way.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries will focus on the prevention of

animal abuse and the managing of abandoned animals while the Ministry of

Health and Welfare (MHW) will focus on cracking down on the illegal killing

of dogs and cats and selling their meat. The MAF has already instructed city

and province self-governments to form teams of police officers and public

servants in order to enforce the Food Sanitation Law and Animal Protection

Law regarding dog and cat meat. Also, please know that, in September, the

MAF and MHW will separately inspect the current state of dog and cat abuse

and dog meat markets and try to come up with measures to deal with these

problems.

 

 

We hope you understand that the government is trying to push forward its

animal cruelty prevention measures and regulations although it will take

some time for them to take effect. The MAF will also continue to try to make

efforts to live up to the expectations of animal lovers. . (End of

translated email)

 

 

_________

 

 

As you can see you ARE making a difference. We mustn't, however, let our

guard down until we are certain the Korean government will honor their

commitment to enforce the existing animal welfare laws that ban the

consumption of dog and cat meat. We will continue our efforts to either

pass a new and improved law or strengthen the existing laws, and hope you

will join us in our ongoing struggle.

 

Kyenan Kum

 

 

iaka

www.koreananimals.org

International Aid for Korean Animals

P.O. Box 20600

Oakland, CA 94620-0600

USA

 

 

 

P +1 510-271-6795

F +1 510-451-0643