There was a very important decision announced yesterday in South Korea. In Bucheon, a satellite city of Seoul (where I came from!), the courts handed down a decision that could start a domino effect on dog meat consumption. I am going to outline this for you because the initial reaction from so many people has been the assumption that dog meat has been banned in the entire country. While I have always said and encouraged any positive steps, please remember, this fight will not end overnight.
Bucheon’s Mayor, Kim Man-soo, was the first to declare Bucheon as a dog meat free city in South Korea and very likely why this court decision resulted the way it has. Being “dog meat free” means that restaurants are being encouraged to change their menus, farms shutting down, etc. This is not happening immediately, it’s a process but it’s a start. Jeonju city is now following in its footsteps. Each city’s Mayor can work towards this and it will ultimately encourage the Amendment to the Animal Protection Law, proposed by Pyo Chang Won (the chairman of the Animal Welfare Committee at the National Assembly of Korea), to remove dogs from the livestock list which would in turn end dog farming. Grandma Nami meets with these Mayors and she has worked directly with restaurant owners to encourage change. It’s a very positive group effort.
The large animal rights group in S. Korea, CARE (Co-Existence of Animal Rights on Earth) assigned a lawyer, Kim Kyung-eun, who had filed complaints against a dog farm operator in Bucheon, stating that he was killing animals without reason and violating building and hygiene regulations. The court ruled that dog meat consumption was not a legal reason to kill dogs and fined him the equivalent of $2,700. Here’s what I want you to hear: (1) Dog meat has not been banned in South Korea as a result of this ruling (which was actually handed down in April but just released yesterday); (2) Invoking hygiene regulations or animal protection laws that do indeed ban cruel slaughter methods is the reason this was enforced; and (3) this decision does pave a road for CARE lawyers to pursue filing similar complaints against the farmers to other judicial authorities in other cities. Also note that this decision has infuriated the Dog Meat Association who has gone on record stating that killing dogs for consumption versus killing them on a whim are two different scenarios and cannot be punished the same way. They are a very strong, unionized group, and they will fight this until the bitter end. But remember friends, the bitter end is coming or they wouldn’t be so angry. When people feel threatened, they react defensively. Just like my friends fight when they know their lives are at stake, the dog meat farmers are fighting for their survival. Karma always has a way of making things right…
Spread the truth about this ruling so more people understand its implications. Knowledge is power!! And my friends have PAW POWER!!!