Contents



1. Emergency Email Campaign

2. Our Current Campaign against Pro-Dogmeat Lobbyists

3. London Demonstration Update

4. Brussels Demonstration Update

5. Netherlands Demonstration Update

6. Upcoming Demonstration in South Africa

7. Upcoming Demonstration in New York

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May 6, 2002



1. Emergency Email Campaign



President Kim Dae-Jung was scheduled to be in New York this week, but had to change his plans. His wife, Mrs. Lee, Hee-Ho, is visiting New York in his place this week, from May 6 through May 11. We have collected email addresses for the organizations she will be visiting as his representative and are asking our members to send their emails of protest to pressure Mrs. Lee to speak with President Kim about the dogs and cats of Korea. Below are the addresses and a sample letter:



Korean Consulate General in New York

info@koreanconsulate.org



Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C.

information_usa@mofat.go.kr

consular_usa@mofat.go.kr



United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)

netmaster@unicef.org



Korea Society

Hon. Donald P. Gregg
President & Chairman of the Board
prudence.ny@koreasociety.org



Frederick F. Carriere
Vice President & Executive Director
fred.ny@koreasociety.org





SAMPLE LETTER


Dear Mrs. Lee Hee-ho,



Despite the 1984 Ministry of Health law banning dog-meat soup and the 1991 law enacted to protect dogs and cats from torture and slaughter, dogs and cats are still not safe in South Korea.



Several South Korean politicians and the Korean media continue to claim that dog-eating is a centuries old tradition, but in truth, Korean cultural heritage does not include torturing and eating dogs and cats. Boiling cats alive to make “medicine” never existed before the 1980s, when the idea was first promoted by dog dealers as a money-making scheme. Until the 1980s, dog-eating was a back alley vice practiced by men seeking to boost their sexual stamina. Mrs. Lee, even if eating dogs and drinking cat juice were cultural traditions, isn’t it time to abandon these barbaric practices that so many people around the world find disgusting, cruel and barbaric?



These practices are totally unnecessary. As human civilization and cultures evolve, many nations have shed so-called “traditions” that are rooted in cruelty, suffering and subjugation.



Korean dog butchers also emphasize that dogs reared for slaughter and consumption are “food” dogs, as opposed to “pet” dogs. But despite how they look on the outside, all dogs suffer the same pain when they are beaten, blowtorched, hanged and electrocuted.



Please speak to your husband about instituting new laws that will protect dogs and cats from being tortured and consumed. Failure to do so will not only hurt South Korea’s public image, but will perpetuate the negative stereotypes of Koreans.



Sincerely,

(Your Name Here)





1984 Food Sanitation Law



Article 31 (Regulations for people in the food business)



Restaurant owners and other business owners classified by Presidential decree shall follow regulations of the Ministry of Health for the management of food sanitation and order and the improvement of health quality of people.



Food Sanitation Enforcement Regulations (Regulations for restaurant business owners) - The Ministry of Health



Article 42



Restaurant business owners shall follow the provisions of the ordinance, “Regulations for Restaurant Owners,” which are as follows:



21. If the Minister of Health, City Mayor or Minister of the Province declare that a food product is disgusting, unhealthy or unsanitary, it cannot be sold.



22. If a livestock meat product is not inspected in accordance with the law of Article 12 of the Livestock Production and Sanitation Law (Ministry of Agriculture), it cannot be used for food production or consumption.



· Definition of Disgusting Foods: Dog soup, snake soup, lizard soup, worm soup, and dog-soju (liquefied dog juice with herbs). These are foods which give people a feeling of disgust.

· Those businesses which violate the law will receive a warning. After the second warning, they will be suspended from operation for seven days.

· Businesses operating without a permit shall be prosecuted.



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2. Our Current Campaign against Pro-Dogmeat Lobbyists



Dear Animal Friends,


You may have heard the National Dog Meat Restaurants Association's plan to provide foreign visitors with various sample dishes of dog meat during the World Cup. Their shameless dog meat tasting campaign degrades Korea and Korean people and many of you feel mortified and angry at these people who want, for their commercial gain, to continue distorting Korean culture and present dog meat as acceptable. However, please do not fight these people directly. Do not waste your time arguing with them. The fault lies mainly with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Korea Food & Drug Administration. We must fight the root of the problem and therefore concentrate our protest on the government departments which have the power and obligation to abolish dog meat but choose not to do so.

In 1984, the Ministry of Health and Welfare prescribed dog meat and dog soup as disgusting foods. The Food Sanitation Law bans the manufacturing and selling of dog meat. The law states that restaurant owners who sell dog meat should lose their business license if they are caught a third time. Despite this, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has not attempted to enforce the Law, allowing dog meat restaurants to flourish. Furthermore, they have licensed new dog meat restaurants provided that dog meat is called by a name other than Boshintang. This is clearly a case of gross negligence and we must respond by sending strong protest letters and faxes to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Korea Food & Drug Administration. If you use the Internet, please make best use of it for the protest.

While there are several government agencies in Korea that have some jurisdiction over the dog consumption problem, right now we need to concentrate on the relevant government departments—those with authority over food and restaurants. So for now let's make sure that the Ministry of Health and Welfare as well as Korea Food & Drug Administration will be flooded with the criticism and protests that they deserve.

Minister Lee, Tae-Bok
The Ministry of Health and Welfare
1 Joongang-dong
Kwanchun City, Kyoungki-do
South Korea 427-760



Mr. Yang, Kyu-Hwan

Director, Korean Food and Drug Administration

5 Nokbun-dong, Unpyoung-fu

Seoul, South Korea 122-704



(Ask to crack down on and close dog meat restaurants.)



Fax letters to: 02-503-7551 or mail to the above address.
www.mohw.go.kr - cyber civil application room or my opinion



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3. London Demonstration Update



London, April 22, 2002

Report from Steve and Deb Wilkinson, IAKA UK representatives


Approximately 200 supporters gathered outside the Korean Embassy at 60 Buckingham Gate to demonstrate against the torture, slaughter and consumption of dogs and cats in South Korea. Also attending were Kyenan Kum and Sueyoun Cho, the daughter of KAPS founder Sunnan Kum. Hope, the well-known dog rescued from a dogmeat market in South Korea, was there with Bernard Fox and family. Mark Jordan, the ITN reporter who rescued Hope was also at the protest. There were many representatives from different animal welfare groups, including greyhound rescue groups, who highlighted the insidious trade recently started in Korea to import greyhounds in the guise of racing. These dogs are automatically classified as “livestock,” so their fates are in question. Aside from the abuse often suffered in the dog-racing industry, they have no protected status and can easily be sold as food.

There were more young people attending than at previous demos, and they voiced their opinions over loudhailers. People that we spoke to represented a wide range of areas in the UK, some traveling from as far as North Wales. There were supporters from the Midlands, the east from Norwich and other parts of east Anglia, and many from the south of England. There were many more that we did not get a chance to speak with.

A few days before the demo, we were contacted by Colette O’Brien, the IAKA representative in South Africa. We gave her the email and fax details of the Korean embassy in London, so that they could join in from abroad by bombarding the embassy with emails and faxes.

We hope that the next venture will draw more attention from the press during the run up to the World Cup and during the event.

Many of the people who came have expressed their intentions to lobby their MP’s, go to the press and make their communities aware of the situation, and to boycott Korean goods and World Cup merchandise.





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4. Brussels Demonstration Update


Unfortunately, due to some organizational problems there was no demonstration in Brussels. However, Kyenan Kum (IAKA founder), Daniel Desmet, (Belgian contact), and several of our Belgian members coordinated some very productive visits to several politicians.





Brussels, Belgium, April 25, 2002


Report from Daniel Desmet, IAKA contact in Belgium:


On the morning of April 25th, we met with the Belgian Minister of Public Health and Animal Welfare, Magda Aelvoet, and her assistant. We informed them about the
consumption of dogs and cats in South Korea and we explored some possibilities about how a foreign government can support the IAKA/KAPS campaign. Despite the fact
that they were very interested in this subject, this meeting showed us that
it will be difficult for one country to intervene in another country's
local problems. Nevertheless, we examined the possibilities for an official or
non-official reaction from the Belgian government.

Afterwards, we visited the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe. The
secretary of the Executive Director promised us to put this subject on the
agenda for the next congress.

In the afternoon we had a meeting with two members of the European
Parliament.

We met first with Roger Helmer, member of the delegation for relations with
countries of ASEAN and South Korea. He is very interested in animal
welfare issues and, as he lived for 4 years in South Korea, he was very interested
in the IAKA report. In the mean time, he has already written a letter to the
Korean Ambassador in Brussels and the Korean President. The second person
we visited was Struan Stevenson. He has already been protesting for many years
against the consumption of dogs and cats in China. Together we
examined the possibilities to get support from members of the
European parliament to put pressure upon the Korean government.

Finally, we visited the Korean Embassy in Brussels. We had a talk with Mr.
Lee of the Public Relations department. We expressed our concerns about
animal welfare in his country and the consumption of dogs and cats. We
explained him our objectives and stated clearly that we want to cooperate
with the Korean government on this matter.

This visit was symbolic to show the Korean government that people on the
European continent are aware of this issue and support the welfare of companion animals in South Korea.

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5. Netherlands Demonstration Update



The Hague, Netherlands, April 26, 2002



Report from Miriam van der Sangen, IAKA contact in the Netherlands



On Friday, April 26th, the Dutch campaign against the suffering of dogs and cats in South Korea held a demonstration in front of the South Korean Embassy in The Hague. Because of the awful weather (it was cold and very rainy) there were only 20 people who came to demonstrate. However, these people were very motivated. The demonstration was from 1:00 – 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon. One hour after we started there were speeches from Miriam van der Sangen, who organized the demonstration, and from Kyenan Kum, the founder of International Aid for Korean Animals. Kyenan, Miriam, and Daniel Desmet from Belgium engaged in an open and constructive talk for nearly one hour with the second secretary of the Korean Embassy in The Hague. Kyenan gave him her most recent report with photos of the dogs and cats suffering in the markets in South-Korea. She also stated that there are Korean laws which protect animals in Korea and ban the consumption of dogmeat and the use of cats for rheumatism remedies, but that the Korean government is not willing to uphold and enforce these laws. Daniel Desmet handed over more than one thousand signatures from people in Belgium against the eating of dogs and cats in South Korea. The second secretary told them that he would report the conversation to his headquarters. He stated that he has received thousands of protest letters against the suffering of dogs and cats in his country since he started working in the South Korean embassy in the Netherlands last August. At the end of the demonstration some of the protesters met for a cup of coffee in the center of The Hague. They were all satisfied with the success of the demonstration, because the atmosphere was very good and spirits were high.



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6. Upcoming Demonstration in South Africa



Animal Activists Lead Johannesburg/Pretoria Protest Against South Korea’s Illegal Dog Meat Trade



International Aid for Korean Animals (IAKA), The World Animal Watch Task Team and animal defenders from throughout Johannesburg and Pretoria will gather at the South Korean Embassy, Greenpark Estates, Blgd #3, 27 George Storrar Drive, Groenkloof, Pretoria on Friday, May 10th at 12:00 PM, to protest the illegal dog and cat meat trade that flourishes today in South Korea.



We will be meeting at the corner of Totius Street and George Storrar Drive at 11 o’clock and then we will march to the South Korean Embassy at 12 o’clock.



Demonstration Information:

When: Friday, May 10th at 12:00 PM

Where: South Korean Embassy, Greenpark Estates, 27 George Storrar Drive, Groenkloof, Pretoria



Contact Information:



COLETTE O’BRIEN

IAKA – South African Contact

Email: IAKA_SA@hotmail.com



LILLIAN STEEG
World Animal Watch Task Team

People Against Inhumane Slaughter of Animals

Email: worldanimalwatch@iafrica.com



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7. Upcoming Demonstration in New York

May 30, 2002: New York, New York

When: Thursday, May 30 at 12:30 pm

Where: Korean Cultural Center, 460 Park Ave at 57th St, NY

Contact: Kyenan Kum (510) 271-6795
Email: kaps@koreananimals.org

Greg Horak (516) 933-7466
Email: lonecanislupus@yahoo.com

Barbara Stagno
Email: bstagno@idausa.org

Adela Pisarevsky
Email: veganita@yahoo.com





Kyenan Kum
International Aid for Korean Animals
Korea Animal Protection Society
P.O. Box 20600, Oakland, 94620-0600, USA
www.koreananimals.org
iaka@koreananimals.org