Korean government makes move to legitimise dog meat trade

[Guest guest]

> " iakakaps " <iaka

>Fri, 11 Mar 2005 13:20:07 -0800

>

>

>PRESS RELEASE (for immediate release)

>

>11 March 2005

>

>Korean government makes move to legitimise dog meat trade

>

>

>

>The Korean media, on the 9th of March, reported

>the Korean government’s plan to introduce

>hygienic management and control of dog meat

>trade.

>

>According to the reports, the government, at the

>direction of the Prime Minister, Haechan Lee,

>held a ‘State Pending Problems Policy Regulation

>Meeting’ and decided to promote a provision for

>preventing the cruel slaughter of animals

>including dogs and strengthening hygienic

>management of dog meat related trade, including

>restaurants. According to the provision, the

>Ministry of Agriculture will curb the cruelty

>involved in the methods of the slaughter of

>dogs, and thereby stem the international

>criticism against the dog meat trade, though

>prohibiting slaughter methods that are

>punishable in the Animal Protection Law,

>increasing penalty for the offenders and

>prohibiting all animal slaughter in public

>places, such as an open market. In addition, the

>public health and environmental problems that

>dog meat trade has created will be dealt with

>through strict hygienic control of dog meat

>trade.

>

>

>The government claims that they are not

>legalising dog meat, as dogs still will not be

>included in the list of livestock animals.

>However the announcement brought shock and anger

>to Korean animal lovers and campaigners, who

>interpret the provision as legalising dog meat

>trade, in all but name. They are determined to

>oppose and fight the provision and ask animal

>friends all around the world to join them in

>their efforts to force the government to abandon

>their plan to hygienically control dog meat

>trade. They believe that implementing such a

>policy will provide legitimacy to the dog meat

>trade and will create the impression that dog

>meat is fine to eat, thereby worsening the very

>cause of cruelty to dogs.

>

>Kyenan Kum, Founder of International Aid for

>Korean Animals (IAKA), says, “Hygiene control of

>dog meat makes unsustainable the very ground for

>the illegality of dog meat because it assumes

>that dog meat can be treated as food. If the

>Korean government is genuinely concerned about

>reducing cruelty to dogs or the public health

>and environmental problems that the inhumane

>trade creates, they should close down the

>illegal trade and educate the public about the

>fraudulent nature of dog meat trade.

>Implementing a set of regulations to

>hygienically control the dog meat trade while

>paying lip service to animal welfare concerns

>may appease dog eaters but will have disastrous

>effects on the lives of so many Korean animals.”

>

>Ends………..

>

>For more information, please contact

>

>Kyenan Kum, Founder and President, International Aid for Korean Animals

>

>Tel/Fax: (001) 510 271 6795

>

>Email: <kkumkkum

>

>Details about the work of Korea Animal

>Protection Society and International Aid for

>Korean Animals are available on its website:

>www.koreananimals.org

>

>International Aid for Korean Animals

>Korea Animal Protection Society

>P.O. Box 20600, Oakland, 94620-0600, USA

><http://www.koreananimals.org>www.koreananimals.org

><iakaiaka

>(Tel.) 510-271-6795

>(Fax) 510-451-0643

>

>

 

 

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