Please Strengthen Korea's Animal Protection Law

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Dear President Roh Moo-hyun,
dear Prime Minister Han Myung-Sook,
dear Ministers and Embassadors of Korea,

I am appalled and shocked to learn about the cruelties suffered by animals that have been documented in Changsoo-Dong and Sangok-Dong, Incheon City, Korea. Not only are the trade in and consumption of dog meat still common in Korea, but the dogs are raised in the most hideous and cruel environments. Abuse is also prevalent in pet breeding farms and in government-assigned shelters for stray animals.

There is no appropriate animal protection legislation to prevent the prevailing animal cruelty currently taking place in Korea. As someone who believes strongly that animals should not suffer unnecessarily, I am gravely concerned that the proposed amendment to the Animal Protection Law fails to include measures to prevent animal abuse. Therefore I have the following requests.

1. I urge the Korean Government to strengthen the Korean Animal Protection Law to prevent animal cruelty and to introduce basic animal welfare regulations. The amendment seems to be far behind even the level of Taiwan's previous Animal Protection Law, which was revised 10 years ago. The current bill does not stipulate proper protection for companion animals and abandoned animals, nor does it provide welfare policies for laboratory and farm animals. It also does not state any punishment clauses for cruelty violations related to animal experiments, nor does it prohibit killing farm animals by burying them alive. Most critically, amendments must ensure that mistreated animals can be legally seized from abusers and given immediate refuge.

2. I request that the Korean Government withdraw the Policy on Sanitary Management of Dog Meat and create an enforceable law to ban the dog meat trade. The Korean Government must introduce policies to gradually outlaw the sale of dog meat. Without forbidding dog meat consumption and amending the Animal Protection Law to the global standard, Korea will remain a nation stuck in the dark ages and ineligible to host international festivals such as the Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games. We urge the Korean Government to ban dog meat consumption and strengthen the Animal Protection Law so that it is commensurate with the country's international stature.

Sincerely,