From Belgium Watch the video \'s please on the site

Rosa Mertens
Animalsuffering Asia
mertens.rosa@skynet.be

-----Oorspronkelijk bericht-----
Van: iakakaps@koreananimals.org
Korean News Channel SBS Finally Exposes the Truth

Pure-breed and Pet Dogs Are Also Sold For Food;

Not Just Mixed-breeds and Yellow Dogs

Watch their Video Here

On the 27th of June, SBS news channel in South Korea revealed in their evening news program that purebred dogs, commonly regarded as pet dogs, also end up in dog meat market. For a long time, KAPS have been telling the Korean government and media that it is not possible to distinguish between pet dogs and food dogs. Dog meat traders or dog eaters do not make the distinction themselves in practice - despite the fact that they have been using the distinction as a justification for dog meat. No one seemed to take notice of our warnings. For too long many Koreans assumed it was only large yellow dogs or mixed-breeds that were being eaten. We thank news reporter Cheonhong Kim and SBS for exposing the truth.

Prior to the revelation, SBS reported that many pet stores and businesses, due to slowdown in the economy, had been selling their pet dogs to the markets. Similarly, many Korean pet owners have also been abandoning their dogs, which often end up in the markets - sometimes because they outgrew Korea\'s rather small sized average apartment. This time, their investigation has found that purebred puppies have been sold to dog meat restaurants. The conversation between a dog meat restaurant owner and his customer clearly showed that all dogs are regarded as food in dog eaters\' eyes and that their claim that they do not eat so-called pet dogs is a feeble excuse to lessen the disgust of dog lovers.

Purebred puppies used to be very expensive and purebred dogs who ended up in the dog meat market were those who grew old and ill, whether abandoned or stolen. Due to the dramatic increase of those who breed purebred dogs and economic slowdown, many of these pet businesses are closing down. Some dog meat traders are now buying from pet dog auctions and then passing them to dog meat restaurants. One man filmed in the program managed to buy 10 cocker spaniel puppies with less than 100,000 Won (around $30) and were selling them to dog meat restaurants.

What the program has clearly shown is that the distinction between pet dogs and food dogs has been used solely to justify dog meat trade. We have been telling the Korean government for the past 12 years that animal abuse in Korea will only get worse unless we can end the consumption of dogs and cats. Instead of making genuine efforts to expel the trade based on lies and greed, the Korean government is trying to legitimize the distinction by law, thereby worsening the plight of dogs and cats in Korea. As the government has not yet finalized the Amendment, we still have time to influence its decision. Please therefore ask again the Ministry of Agriculture to include all dogs and cats in the definition of pet animals in their Amendment to the 1991 Animal Protection Law. (June 27, 2004)

- Sunnan Kum

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Following Are Responses From Koreans After Watching the Show

SBS message board - a few reactions to the program Sanghun Oh
(Both previous dog eater to current dog eaters)

I used to eat dog meat and supported the practice. However, having a dog home taught me that dogs have rich emotion and my previous behavior was unacceptable. Some people claim that there is a distinction between pet dogs and food dogs. Yet many people already knew and the program proved that so-called pet dogs also end up in dog meat restaurants.

The truth is that mixed-breeds are brighter (if anything) than and just as loving as purebred dogs. The dogs slaughtered for dog eaters are those who have been loved or could have been loved like your own child.

Try to treat them with love and affection. When you closely look at their eyes and facial expressions, you cannot possibly think they have no emotions. When I didn\'t know the loving nature of dogs, I believed that eating dogs was our culture and the foreigners should not interfere. But now I am ashamed of my previous views. It\'s not too late to give up the eating habit. It\'s not difficult. It is nonsense to claim that the cruel practice, originated from famine, is our traditional culture. Why did we eat dog meat in secret if it had been our genuine culture? Let\'s stop this insanity. It is time for change.

Bokyeong Jang (Is this the result of distinguishing between pet dogs and food dogs? Why are we eating dogs in our country? Aren\'t dogs friends to the mankind throughout the history? How can you call this act of betrayal a culture? I am so sorry for dogs who are born in this country or came to this country to end up as food for those who they would have loved with their life. Why should you eat them? The distinction between pet dogs and food dogs is wrong. Yet didn\'t you claim that you didn\'t eat pet dogs? Now we know you eat even Cocker Spaniels (pet dogs according to your definition). All dogs are loving and wonderful animals. I could not help crying while watching the program. If you really want to uphold our culture, learn from and show respect to our ancestors who wanted to live in harmony with nature. If this practice does not banish anytime soon, what reason is there for me to want to live in this country?

Soe Oh (So you want to distinguish between pet dogs and food dogs? It is ridiculous to distinguish between pet dogs and food dogs. All dogs
are capable of sharing their emotions with humans. The distinction is responsible for the continuation of this repulsive practice. Have you ever looked at the eyes of a yellow dog (the dog you call food)? What you despise as mixed-breeds are also faithful and precious friends. Those who eat these affectionate animals without any remorse have lost their humanity.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What You Can Do:

1.. Write to the Korean Government telling them to:
a.. Define All Dogs & Cats as \"Pet Animals\"
a.. Amendment should NOT legitimize the distinction between food-dogs & pet-dogs, which the dog-meat industry uses to justify their trade to Koreans & the World
b.. Enforce existing laws in the markets & countryside
a.. Let them know dog/cat based products are fraudulent medicines & not food & they are a threat to public health
c.. Make the act of slaughtering and selling dogs and cats for food or medicine punishable by law
a.. More and more Koreans object to the dog and cat meat industry; even though its not legal; current laws need to make it a punishable offense.

2.. Write to your Member of Parliament or Congress
a.. Ask them to contact the Korean Government and pressure them to change the definition of \"pet animals\" to include all dogs and cats.
3.. Make a contribution to IAKA & KAPS
a.. Help us pressure the Korean government to take active responsibility for the protection of all dogs & cats
b.. Help us spread the truth about the dog & cat meat industry
c.. Help us sponsor education programs that will create a more just and compassionate society in Korea
4.. Please send letters to the Korean Government protest to:
(Email Addresses may not work, when too many messages are received)
a.. President Roh Moo-Hyun
Blue House
1 Sejong-Ro, Jongno-gu
Seoul
South Korea, 110-050
webmaster@president.go.kr

webmaster@korea.net

b.. Minister Huh Sang-Man
The Ministry of Agriculture
#3-108 Gwacheon Government Office Building
Joongang-dong 1
Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do Province
South Korea 427-760
-or-
wmaster@maf.go.kr
c..
d.. webmaster@president.go.kr; webmaster@korea.net

Dear President Roh Moo-Hyun,

I am appalled to learn the Korean Government is currently drafting an amendment to the Animal Protection Law of 1991, permitting the dog and cat meat-trade industry by limiting protections to only dogs and cats raised specifically as pets - instead of classifying all dogs and cats as \"pet animals\" and thereby protected by law. The draft amendment\'s definition of \"pet animal\" is an attempt to give legitimacy to dog and cat meat - giving dog and cat butchers freedom to abuse and kill with impunity. Animal protection can never be established in Korea while people are allowed to eat dogs and cats and the Korean Government\'s strategy to defend dog and cat meat as \"our food culture\" is a farce that causes great harm to the image of Korea. In 1991 your own government acknowledged that all dogs and cats, not just dogs and cats raised intentionally as pet animals, were entitled to protection from being tortured or killed.

If this new law passes, it would make Korea the first and only country in the entire world to explicitly legitimise dog meat, legally sanctioning dog and cat killing for human consumption. This would bring a great mark of shame to your country, especially when the overwhelming majority of the rest of the world has banned dog-meat, including Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines. In fact, Taiwan has recently strengthened their law to ban the killing and selling dogs as food. Almost every other country in the world, especially those as developed as Korea, is moving forward with animal protection laws. Why do you want to embarrass your country and let it be known as the only country taking a step backwards?

Our boycott of Korea\'s bid for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games was successful. After choosing Vancouver, Canada, as the host city, the International Olympic Committee sent letters to International Aid for Korean Animals and the Korea Animal Protection Society asking them and their supporters to stop bombarding their offices with protest cards. I promise that if the proposed amendment to the Animal Protection Law of 1991 passes, we will do everything in our power to see that Korea will loose all of its bids to host any major event, including all international sporting events and World Expositions. I and my many animal loving friends from around world will send protest letter after protest letter informing the organizers of such events about the horrors that take place inside Korea, letting them know that they should reconsider before choosing Korea as a host city.

All Dog and Cat are companion pet animals and should not be raised for human consumption.

Kindest regards

[img size=760]http://www.iluvkorea.com/components/com_joomlaboard/uploaded/images/Korea_dogs.jpg[/img]