END DOGS BURNING ALIVE: Demand Chicago Condemn Cruelty in Sister City, Busan, South ​Korea!

Find more ways to help: https://koreandogs.org/a-plea-for-compassion-busan-chicago/

A Plea for Compassion: Protect Chained Dogs from Burning Alive in South Korean Wildfires (Sister City: Busan & Chicago, Illinois)

Despite the revised Animal Protection Act of 2023, South Korea continues to allow the cruel practice of lifelong tethering, often with chains far shorter than the supposed two-meter minimum. Weak enforcement leaves countless “rural dogs” to suffer in filth, neglect, and isolation, treated as mere property.

Tragically, this systemic neglect results in horrific deaths during disasters like the recent wildfires. Helpless dogs, chained and caged, are left to burn alive as their owners evacuate, abandoning their loyal companions to unimaginable agony. This is not mere indifference but a callous betrayal that stains South Korea’s conscience.

With its inadequate leash length and poor enforcement, the revised law fails to protect these animals. Lifelong tethering must be banned outright.

We demand immediate action:
• Enact and strictly enforce a complete ban on lifelong tethering.
• Drastically strengthen enforcement of animal welfare laws with severe penalties for neglect.
• Mandatory disaster evacuation protocols must unequivocally require the evacuation of all dogs alongside their human guardians, forbidding any dog from being left tethered or confined during evacuations.

We urge the Sister/Friendship Cities of South Korea to take a stand against this cruelty. Their partnerships cannot ignore the horrific reality of dogs chained and left to burn alive. We ask them to contact their counterparts in South Korea and demand meaningful laws to protect dogs, including a ban on tethering and mandatory pet evacuation during emergencies.

The world is watching. South Korea must move beyond ineffective minimum standards and implement real change to end this unimaginable suffering. Demand action now.

Video: Bbibbi, a young puppy barely a year old, was found clinging to life—scorched by flames, her mouth burned shut, and her eyes lost—after being left chained to a piece of metal farm equipment as a wildfire tore through her village in South Korea. Her owner had days to intervene but abandoned her to burn alive. Bbibbi’s suffering is more than a personal tragedy—it reveals a profound crisis of empathy, where far too many still view dogs not as sentient beings but as property, tools, or disposable burdens. This callous mindset is sustained by weak animal protection laws that allow lifelong tethering and fail to recognize animals as lives worth defending. https://koreandogs.org/bbibbi/ https://youtu.be/7vZE_P_wGho

PETITION: 

URGENT GLOBAL OUTCRY: END CRUEL LIFELONG TETHERING AND THE HORRIFIC, REPEATED DEATHS OF DOGS IN YOUR SISTER CITY OF BUSAN DURING WILDFIRES

Dear Mayor Brandon Johnson and Esteemed Representatives of Chicago,

I am writing with outrage and urgency regarding the unspeakable cruelty of lifelong tethering of dogs in your Sister City of Busan, South Korea, and its catastrophic consequences during wildfires. We value the Sister City relationship and urge your immediate, principled action on this international animal welfare crisis.

The barbaric practice of lifelong tethering—often on chains shorter than 3 feet, causing chronic neglect and suffering—renders countless sentient beings defenseless during natural disasters. Tragically, repeated wildfires in South Korea have led to horrific, preventable deaths of tethered dogs who are unable to escape. This reflects a deeply disturbing lack of compassion within segments of the Korean community toward these loyal animals’ agonizing plight.

Witness this brutal reality (Warning: Disturbing images of animal suffering in the following videos):

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m0FWFjIfbC8
https://www.youtube.com/live/DxIsPx-g8eM
https://www.youtube.com/@TheFromcare/streams
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/7vZE_P_wGho
https://koreandogs.org/700-dogs-burned-alive/
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sbUi7K9mPTU
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sStj0hH6MyM
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/A8OskdtJvjg
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/BfEbt6s79sE
https://youtu.be/MunZMwl6BmQ
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hRocjMfllqM
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/hotkDKh8Ii8
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/SJ-bYNdeS6I
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CeTa4VRG6pk
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/9Bway6u5sb4
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cDWUTYsVQHQ
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/_LjaYeZkrQU
https://koreandogs.org/two-brothers-rescued/
https://koreandogs.org/uljin-fire/
https://koreandogs.org/gangwondo-fire/
https://koreandogs.org/danbi/
https://koreandogs.org/chungju-fire/

These loyal creatures are deliberately left chained during evacuations and condemned to burn alive. This recurring horror, fueled by inadequate laws, insufficient emergency preparedness, and a shocking disregard for their suffering, demands immediate and forceful international condemnation.

As leaders of a Sister City to Busan, you have a powerful platform for ethical advocacy. We implore you to recognize the moral imperative of ending this cruelty and preventing further animal suffering. Decisive action on the international level is crucial.

Therefore, we urgently request that you:

1. STRONGLY CONDEMN lifelong tethering and the repeated, devastating immolation of dogs in your Sister City and South Korea due to wildfires, directly addressing the lack of compassion that allows this to persist.

2. IMMEDIATELY REACH OUT to your counterparts in Busan to express profound global outrage and condemnation for this ongoing cruelty in South Korea. Emphasize that the continued failure to ban tethering and protect animals during wildfires risks South Korea’s international reputation, highlighting a disturbing absence of empathy.

3. STRONGLY URGE the leadership of Busan to take swift, decisive action by engaging with the national government to implement CRITICAL animal protection measures:

- IMMEDIATE AND STRICTLY ENFORCED BAN on lifelong tethering.
- IMMEDIATE ADOPTION AND ENFORCEMENT of mandatory evacuation protocols, ensuring the inclusion of all companion animals.
- SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENT in public awareness campaigns to promote responsible pet guardianship.
- SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED PENALTIES for neglect and abandonment, particularly during disasters, to send a clear message that such disregard for animals negatively impacts South Korea’s global reputation.
4. OFFER YOUR CITY’S EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES in establishing robust animal welfare standards (including a tethering ban) and comprehensive emergency preparedness to assist Busan in preventing these recurring tragedies.

The ongoing cruelty of lifelong tethering and the repeated, horrific deaths of countless dogs in South Korean wildfires are an unconscionable stain born from a shocking absence of empathy. As a Sister City, you hold a profound moral obligation to utilize your international relationship to passionately champion these sentient beings’ fundamental right to live free from chains and the terror of a cruel death. We request decisive and immediate action on the global stage to end this tragic cycle. An online petition urging your support to stop these horrors in Busan is in progress: https://chng.it/bYq9Z68JCz We implore you to give this critical matter your urgent and unwavering attention, demonstrating your commitment to animal welfare within your sphere of influence and beyond.

Video: 💔 CARE’s Grim Discovery: Agony in the Ashes - Burned Dogs Found