선진국의 동물보호단체라면 우리들 생각으로는 동물을 먼저 보호한 나라의 단체로서 동물을 위하여 매우 순수한 활동을 한다고 생각할 수도 있다. 그러나 협회는 외국단체들과의 오랜 교류를  통하여 외국의 모든 동물단체가 그렇지는 않다는 것을 알게 되었다.  외국단체들 중에는 한국에서 오랫동안 동물들을 위해 활동해온 우리협회의 충고조차 무시하고 우리나라의 개식용 습관을 인정하면서, 잔인하게 죽이지만 않으면 된다고 주장하는 단체들도 있어 우리 협회의 항의를 받기도 하였다. 영국의 WSPA는 한국정부에 개식용을 합법화하라는 편지까지 보낸 바 있고 이러한 입장을 고수하다가 WSPA회원들의 거센항의를 받은 후에야 그러한 입장을 공식적으로는 철회하였다.

미국의  PETA는 여전히 개고양이 식용이나 가축의 식용이나 다를 바가 없다며 개고양이를 식용하는 사람들을 도와주는 말을 서슴지 않고 있다.

자기들 나라에는 개고양이 식용의 악습이 없다해서 그러한 습관이 한국의 불쌍한 동물들에 끼치는 영향은 고려하지조차 않는다. 이는 우리나라의 고통받는 동물들을 외면하고, 한국 국민의 개고기 반대 운동과  동물보호 노력을 업신여기고, 방해하고 있는 것과 같은 일이다.  

아래 편지는 최근 PETA가  " 개고기"나 "돼지고기"나 같다는 포스타를 만든다고 하여 이에 PETA에게  보낸  반박 글.  

PETA에 보낸 항의 편지  

PLEASE   DO NOT   DO YOUR   BILLBOARD CAMPAIGN.

The contemplated PETA billboard campaign will not help Korean dogs in any way.  It may help your organization's fundraising and publicity efforts in the US, but it will absolutely make things worse in Korea. The Korean media loves to pander to nationalism and actually seeks out this kind of publicity in the US to legitimize their ridiculous cultural relativism argument.  If you care about Korean dogs and cats or Korean animals  in general, you won’t do it.  Koreans will find out about your billboards and it will make things worse.  They will also give an inaccurate picture of what dog meat is for Koreans, suggesting that it is mainly a cultural choice/tradition, which is not true but is what we spend much of our time fighting against in the US and in Korea.  We are glad you want to save pigs and cows from torture and death, so do we, but please don’t do it at  the expense of Korean dogs.

Right now we are urgently trying to stop the Korean Government from drafting an amendment changing their 1991 Animal Protection Law (never enforced) that criminalized all dog and cat torture, killing, and eating. The amendment would make it so they don't ever have to enforce the 1991 law at  all - by limiting protections to only dogs/cats specifically raised as pets. It will effectively legally sanction the unrestrained torture and murder of dogs and cats and pave the way for legalizing dog and cat meat.  We don't need anyone helping the Korean Government's attempts to promote their farce that dog/cat meat is just a Korean cultural right of choice, like America's cows and venison.   We want to finally start protecting all dogs and cats and start arresting these pathetic butchers.
  
Korea’s nationalistic reaction to poorly planned and implemented international campaigns (Bridget Bardot hurt us a lot) over the past two decades have only sky-rocketed the sales of dog meat and led to the creation of cat based products. The only way to help Korean dogs and cats is to support the organizing efforts, care and shelter facilities, and education programs in Korea and by lobbying the Korean Government in support of the Korean animal rights community's demands. There are millions of Korean households that have pets now and a growing pet industry ($1.2 billion) and animal rights community. International Groups should support them and listen to them.  They should tell the Government that they support the Korean animal community’s demands, that they are not making different demands, that they are united behind them, and that they will not compromise or undermined the Korean animal community’s demands or standing with the Korean government.

Does PETA want to be part of the problem in Korea?

The Korean government will continue to get away with murder of dogs and cats if you do 1 or 2 things:

1.  You can insult all Koreans as dog eaters and legitimize the very inaccurate belief that it is a traditional part of Korean Culture, which will then make them feel they must defend it, even though most do not participate or approve of it.  Stupid macho Korean men who do eat it will only feel more compelled to do so.  Votes will be easily gained by appealing to Korean nationalism. We want the Government to care about the votes of Korean Animal lovers.

2.  You can applaud the Korean Government when they legalize dog meat and make dogs classified as Livestock under the foolish “humane treatment” belief that they will then be better protected. This is not true. .You don't know how corrupt and clever is the Korean Government. All the rabbits and chickens in those terrible markets are supposed to be livestock and  thus protected too. “Humane Slaughtering” should be unnecessary, as dog and cat meat is supposedly already illegal.

Dog meat does not = Cow meat.  

Koreans do not eat dogs for the same reasons as they do cows.  Koreans do not go to a restaurant and think to themselves what meat would be tasty today.  Dog meat has always been a very specialized “product” that has had only one function, to satisfy the vain and foolish beliefs of often well-to-do older men who want to increase their sexual vitality and those who believe it helps  with the summer heat (most recent).  

It was historically a rare source of protein for people who were starving and desperate, most recently during the War and post-War years. It was eventually exploited by greedy/opportunistic butchers, who had killed off wildlife and couldn’t compete with US subsidized beef.  Before that, it was a small time vice of old men who found their dog meat in red-light districts and in alleys.  If people continue to peddle the sentiment that dog meat is just Korea's personal preference comparable to cow meat, then it will continue to grow into meat demanded by all for its meat alone, just like cow meat. There’s also “dog wine” and they’re not drinking it for the taste.
  
Cat meat does not = Cow meat.

Cat juice was absolutely invented only a couple decades ago by greedy shameless butchers who promoted it up as a tonic for arthritis and numerous other common and thus profitable ailments.  No Korean is demanding Cat meat over Cow meat. What they are demanding is boiled-alive tortured cat flesh. The mythical health benefits require a cruel death.  I know today’s production outputs of
cow meat are necessarily cruel too, but it’s not actually demanded by the consumer that the cow be tortured to enhance its health benefits.

Therefore, comparing dog and cat meat as just another meat choice is false. The only way we would then be able to save the dogs and cats is to make all Koreans become vegetarian.  We don't want to wait for forever to save them and it's also not necessary.  Dog and Cat meat is already illegal, but current laws are not enforced.  Dog and Cat meat is not a comparable product to Cow meat and Chicken meat and should never be compared and treated as such, particularly in Korea.

We personally recognize the rights of all animals and we wish to protect all of them, but Dogs and Cats are simply a recent and unnecessary addition to the family of human-raised-human-murdered animals, and if we can delete them from that group now, while we can, then we should.

Does PETA want to be part of the solution in Korea?

I want PETA to completely stop their scheming to have fund raising campaigns using the miserable Korean dogs and cats.  PETA cannot acquire my photos for their campaign.  If PETA wants to do the Korea campaign and use my material and my help, I want one million dollars to build KAPS CARE (Korea Animal Protection Society Center for Animal Rescue and Education) and for education in Korea, which would actually help Korean dogs and cats.  Furthermore, I will only agree to helping if PETA's policy changes to promote a 100% complete and enforced ban on human consumption of dogs and cats and request the Korean Government to make a law not to distinguish pet dog and cats from farmed dogs and cats.

If you want to actually be successful at helping Korean Dogs and Cats and not look like racists or cultural imperialists, then you should support, listen to, and assist animal rights groups in Korea; support their lobbying efforts, education projects, and shelters.  Internationally and in the US, you would better serve us by informing the American public that we do exist and that they should help us directly.  Tell them that it's not all Koreans whom you should attack, but there are Koreans whom you should support.  You can then tell the Korean Government that you support us, so they won't ignore us any longer. The Korean Government can easily play around with you forever, it’s easy, but sooner or later we must force them to be accountable to us, otherwise no Korean animal will ever be safe, not even pigs or cows.

A country that crosses a line and tolerates the killing of animals dear to many of its own people’s heart for such shamelessly and preposterously false health benefits, will also be willing to do anything to any animal for any reason.  Making the Korean Government responsive to the issue of dogs and cats and making them enforce at least the minimal laws they have, will be a step forward in enlightening this Government and the Korean people.  We must act strategically and in cooperation. We must take precise and appropriately timed and placed action on behalf of all animals and never at the expense of any specific creature.  Please don’t let PETA be remembered for contributing to a shift of Korean consciousness that hardened its attitude about eating dogs and opened the door to widespread exploitation and killing of any and all animals.  

Thank you,

KAPS/IAKA