To the Kia Group, 

Your management philosophy talks about ‘practicing humanity’; humanity - or human qualities.  Surely the greatest human quality must be compassion, not just for people we know, or who work for us, but for all living creatures within our care or society. 

Your company originates from South Korea, and therefore your company represents a country which chooses to ignore compassion and which, in fact, promotes human behaviour which has no ‘quality’, no ‘degree of excellence’; human behaviour which is unacceptable, immoral, and shocking: we refer to the endemic and brutal practices that are unashamedly being carried out in your home country, within all parts of the dog and cat meat trade.

South Korea is the only country in the world which commercially farms cats and dogs to supply the nation’s demand; and the brutalization of these helpless animals is appalling, and the suffering which they experience is immense.

Within the thousands of farms, ranging in size from small, backyard enterprises to huge concerns, every year many millions of animals are bred and reared, and kept in completely inhumane and pitiful conditions: with dogs being raised in small, filthy, barren cages, with no reprieve from hunger or fear.  They endure all of this before they are finally condemned to hideous deaths, by horrendous and deliberately prolonged methods of slaughter - all of which are illegal, and completely unacceptable by any measure of humanity.

We know that dedicated, caring people in South Korea have been asking their Government to ban this atrocity for many years, but the Government has yet to take a leadership role in this matter; and it is hard to believe, in the twenty-first century, that a civilized nation such as South Korea, which is one of the major economic world powers, and also boasts one of the highest educational levels in the world, is still committing this type of unnecessary and despicable cruelty.

The dog meat trade is a two billion dollar industry, but South Korea could stand to lose considerably more in terms of export revenue, goodwill and its positive image within the international community if this appalling industry is not stopped; and if South Korea wants to join civilized nations around the world, and be respected as a nation of conscience, then it needs to strengthen and, importantly, enforce its animal protection laws. 

Kia is the oldest motor manufacturer in Korea, it produces millions of vehicles around the world and is a billion dollar industry - it has the power to change this tragic and cruel situation; and we are surprised that a business with so much power, influence and money, is not already doing something about this abhorrence.  It is shameful.

As with other Korean companies, Kia relies heavily on the export market, but many people across the globe, because of their great love for dogs, will either continue, or decline, to support your corporation depending on how you now decide to act with regards to the animal rights and welfare issues in your country.  Do you want your product image to suffer?

Furthermore, your Company is a sponsor of the NBA; but what good is spending millions of dollars on promoting your company’s name through such branding, when the dog meat trade in your country is doing much to damage your corporate image.  Surely Kia’s corporate dollars should, in the first instance, be spent on helping end the appalling dog meat industry? That would make better economic sense.

As a representative company of your country, you have a moral duty to be proactive in this matter.  We implore you to “tackle this challenge head on” and so live up to your claim that you “strive to become a respected global corporate citizen”.

Kia, make the decision, today, to do what is right “for a better future”; a more compassionate future for your country, and one that South Koreans will be proud to be part of: you must urge the South Korean Government to put an end to the dog and cat meat trade once and for all.

Photo: Horrific Revelation Of Dog Farm “It’s A Living Hell”, Inside South Korea’s Dog Farm (Part 1) https://koreandogs.org/horrific-south-korean-dog-farm-part1/

‘Hopeless’ Eyes Of Dogs In Cages, Inside South Korea’s Dog Farm (Part 2) https://koreandogs.org/horrific-south-korean-dog-farm-part2/