fw:Asian animal rights activists urge South Korea to stop dog meat trade during World Cup

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Asian animal rights activists urge South Korea to stop

dog meat trade during World Cup

Fri Jun 14, 1:39 AM ET

 

SINGAPORE - Animal rights activists mailed videos

documenting the dog meat industry to South Korean

embassies across Asia on Friday, urging the World Cup

co-hosts to stop eating man's best friend and to quit

selling it as a delicacy to tourists.

 

The video — which shows golden retrievers, huskies and

other breeds of dogs being dragged by their ears and

shoved into tiny cages — was mailed to embassies in

nine countries in Asia, said Louis Ng, Singapore

president of the Animal Concerns Research and

Education Society.

 

The protest was organized by Asia Link, a coalition of

animal welfare groups in 12 Asian countries, he said.

The activists think their protest will influence South

Koreans because it is being organized by Asians, and

not Westerners.

 

" In the past we've seen Western organizations

condemning them for eating dog meat, " Ng told The

Associated Press. " The Koreans say it's just a Western

movement. Now we can say it's a global movement

against the cruelty to dogs and cats. "

 

Officials at the South Korean Embassy in Singapore

were not immediately available to comment.

 

Ng disputed the claim made by some South Koreans that

dog meat is a traditional Korean food that its people

have been eating for centuries.

 

" It started during the Korean War when the people ate

dog meat because they were starving, " Ng said. " Now,

dog meat is more expensive than chicken or pork. It's

the affluent people eating dog meat as an

aphrodisiac. "

 

China also has dog farms and a dog meat industry, Ng

said.

 

" But Korea is a priority because they are promoting

dog meat to tourists during the World Cup, " he said.

 

About 3 million of South Korea ( news - web sites)'s

47 million people are believed to eat dog meat, and

there are an estimated 6,000 dog meat restaurants

nationwide.

 

A group of dog meat restaurant owners scrapped a plan

to offer World Cup tourists free samples of their

dishes because of pressure from authorities. But South

Korea has rejected earlier calls from international

animal rights groups to ban dog meat sales during the

tournament that it is co-hosting with Japan.

 

 

 

 

 

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