Seogwipo (Jeju Special Self Governing Province), S. Korea!  Please stop the construction of large scale illegal dog farm and crack down on existing dog farms immediately!

제주특별자치도 서귀포시 김재봉시장님, 수망리 불법 개사육장 신축 즉시 중단해주세요!

Dear Mayor Jae-Bong Kim(김재봉시장님께),

We learned about the construction in progress of a large scale illegal dog farm in your city, Seogwipo and we are horrified and outraged. (http://www.jemin.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=311187 수망리 주민 개사육장 신축 강력 반발 http://koreandogs.org/sumangri-dog-farm-construction/ Seogwipo Sumangri Residents Strongly Opposes New Construction of Large Scale Dog Farm)

Your own citizens, many Seogwipo residents have been petitioning and filing civil complaints urging your city to stop the construction and crack down on the existing dog farms. Why do you ignore them?  Why did you approve the construction of this new illegal dog farm and why do you let these despicable and shameful trade operate in your city brutally taking the lives of innocent animals every day?

In your response to the civil complaints, you make the excuse about the lack of enforceable laws to disapprove this new construction . You tell them it is the responsibility of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to address this dog meat consumption issue. The list of excuses is endless. Why send your own people round in circles? Your failure to act is a heinous crime to the animals and causes stress on your residents who no longer wish to endure the noise of barking cries and foul stench and bear this shame and guilt.

You know that Article 2, Item 1 of Korea's Livestock Product Sanitary Control Act which governs the raising, slaughter and disposal of livestock and the processing, distribution and inspection of livestock products, does not categorize dogs as a livestock that can be processed as food which makes dog meat technically illegal. Also, since S. Korea is a democratic nation where your representatives are elected through a democratic process, isn't it your responsibility as the citizens to end this shameful and barbaric atrocity? If the enforceable laws are not in place it is your responsibility to make sure the enforceable laws are enacted and enforced.

Further, according to the Food Sanitation Act, Article 7, Clause 1, Korean Food Standards Codex specified by the Food and Drug Administration, dogs are not included in the list of raw materials that can be processed and cooked as food therefore making raising and slaughtering dogs for consumption illegal.

Below are just few of many violations of Animal Protection Law by the dog farm operations in your city and many similar places around the country in South Korea:

ARTICLE 3. BASIC PRINCIPLE OF ANIMAL PROTECTION
In keeping, caring and protecting animals, everyone should recognize the following:
2. Animals should be free from the hunger and thirst.
5. Animals should be free from fear and stress.

ARTICLE 8. PROHIBITION OF ANIMAL ABUSE
① No one shall commit the following acts toward animals:
1. Act of killing by brutal methods, such as hanging
2. Act of Killing in public or in another animal’s presence
③ No one shall commit the following acts toward abandoned or abused animals:
1. Act of capture and sell or kill.
2. Act of trade or purchase knowing that the animals are abandoned or abused.

ARTICLE 9. ANIMAL TRANSPORTATION
① Anyone transporting an animal that has been selected by decree from the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries must make an effort to abide by the following:
1. Ensure that the animals are properly fed, watered and drive carefully so that animals are not shocked or harmed from sudden departures or stops.
2. The vehicle used for transportation must be built to prevent any harm during transportation and to minimize any pain due to poor ventilation or sudden changes in temperature, etc.
4. Avoid any possible injuries while moving an animal and minimize any pain or discomfort, such as sudden changes in body temperature or difficulty in breathing.

ARTICLE 46. PUNISHMENT
① Anyone who violates Article 8, Clause 1 through 3 shall be punished with up to one year in prison or a maximum fine of 10 million Korean won ($7,000 USD).
In addition, according to the Ministry of Environment's Conservation of Water Quality and Ecosystem Law Article 15 Clause 1 Item 2 and Article 78 Item 3, act of discharging excrement, livestock waste water, animal carcass, waste materials or sludge into public water is punishable by up to one year in prison or a maximum fine of 10 million Korean won ($7,000 USD).

According to the Livestock Safety Management Act, slaughterhouses must slaughter animals they are registered to handle. Are the farms and slaughterhouse registered to slaughter dogs? They are not because dogs are not subject to slaughter under this law.

In your homepage you stated that you will do your best to make your city the "City of Dreams, Hope and New Challenges" What "Dream and Hope" guarantees are you giving citizens of Sumangri who have been suffering for so long because of these illegal dog farm operations?

Jeju Island maybe be designated as UNESCO's Triple Crown and New 7 Wonders of Nature but for us your island is a reminder of human brutality and cruelty towards man's best friends?

Seogwipo will never be considered an ethical, compassionate and modern city as long as your government ignores this illegal and despicable injustice towards the most vulnerable members of your society. Please enforce the law! Stop the new construction of dog farm and crack down on the dog farms immediately!

Until then, we will not invest in or visit Jeju, Seogwipo and we will continue to boycott all S. Korean products and tourism.

Sincerely,

Seogwipo city Homepage: http://www.seogwipo.go.kr/

Jeju Special Self Governing Province Homepage: http://english.jeju.go.kr/

See more photos of dog farms in Sumangri area: http://www.sisajeju.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=185280