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Mayor Shane Bemis of Gresham: Tell Sister City, Sokcho, South Korea, That We’re Opposed to the Torture and Consumption of Dogs and Cats.

Sokcho Mayor Byeong-Sun Lee

If you want to help fight the grisly South Korean dog and cat meat trade and make a difference in South Korea, here are a few quick actions you can take that could save millions of dogs and cats each year.

Sokcho became Sister city with Gresham in 1985.

In Sokcho, there are countless dog farms, slaughterhouses, markets, and restaurants where the dogs, who have been tortured their entire lives, end up being slaughtered in the most inhumane ways, such as by electrocution, hanging, or beating, and then thrown into boiling water – sometimes while they are still alive. In many places, dogs are being killed in full view of other terrified, caged dogs; and this takes place in public and in broad daylight. In addition, many abandoned and stolen former pets end up in this industry and are subject to the same cruelty.

A Search Engine reveals the sickening scale of Sokcho’s dog meat demand.

Shown below are two search results on Naver (the most popular search engine in Korea) – the first one was for so-called “Health Food Centers” which commonly sell dog elixirs and cat elixirs (also known as dog soju and cat soju), and the second one was for “dog meat restaurants.”

The searches resulted in dozens of 37 Health Food Centers; and 15 restaurants in the vicinity of Sokcho.

Even if half of these ‘Health’ Food Centers and restaurants serve dog and cat ‘ingredients’ in one form or another, imagine how many dog/cat slaughterhouses must be present in the vicinity of Sokcho to supply these outlets.

There are laws in South Korea against selling dogs and cats for consumption, yet these laws are blatantly ignored.

Please watch the documentary on South Korea’s dog meat industry: https://youtu.be/cCdTceduKcY

Video: The Dog Meat Professionals: South Korea

https://koreandogs.org/meat-dogs-in-wire-cages-feed-on-rotten-food-waste-slops/

Please sign petition, call, write and email the Gresham TODAY!

To make this easy we’ve included text for your call and emails below.

• No matter where you live, please SIGN OUR PETITION
• Email:
  [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
• Send letter (Use the below-suggested message or petition):Mayor’s Office
  Gresham City Hall
  3rd Floor
  1333 NW Eastman Parkway
  Gresham, OR 97030
  USA

  Send a copy of your letter to Sokcho Mayor Byeong-Sun Lee:
  Mayor Byeong-Sun Lee
  Sokcho City Hall
  183 Jungangro Sokcho, Gangwon-do
  Postal Code 24826
  South Korea

  Address in Korean:
  이병선 속초시장님
  속초시청
  (우) 24826 강원도 속초시 중앙로 183
  South Korea

• Send a message through Facebook page: Gresham
  
  Send a message through Facebook page: Mayor Shane Bemis
  

  Suggested email/letter/Facebook message

  Dear Mayor Bemis and the City Council members,

  We ask you to please watch the videos of South Korea’s dog meat industry: https://youtu.be/cCdTceduKcY, https://koreandogs.org/horrible-reality-of-meat-dog-farms-you-did-not-know/

  Do you think that Gresham should be a Sister city to any city that allows dogs and cats to be tortured and eaten? Please urge Sokcho Mayor Byeong-Sun Lee to close down all those illegal dog farms and slaughterhouses, markets, truckers, and restaurants that serve these animal products. An online petition calling for your support in ending the horrendous South Korean dog and cat meat cruelty is in progress: https://www.change.org/p/mayor-shane-bemis-of-gresham-tell-sister-city-sokcho-korea-that-we-re-opposed-to-torture-consumption-of-dogs-andcats
  The favor of your reply is requested.
  Thank you,

  [Your Name & City/Country]

• Call the Mayor’s Office: 503-618-2584

  Suggested phone message

  Hello, I’m calling to speak to someone in the Mayor’s Office to ask for their help on an important issue regarding your sister city, Sokcho in South Korea.

  If I could explain: dog-meat consumption is currently being practiced in that city, even though it is illegal under South Korean Law – but the laws are not enforced. The dog and cat meat trades involve extreme and widespread animal cruelty, and the animals suffer unimaginable pain and distress. They cannot speak for themselves which is why I am calling on their behalf. And, I believe that your city would wish to be made aware of this issue, as you would not want to be affiliated with a city where illegal and immoral torture is being carried out on any animal, and particularly not on ones that are loyal, trusting creatures, which look up to us humans as their guardians.

  These illegal trades are being allowed to continue by Korean authorities – even though there is growing opposition from pet owners across South Korea, and throughout the world.

  So, I am asking you to please speak with your counterparts in Sokcho to urge them to enforce their own laws, not ignore them, and to show compassion to their companion animals, and also respect to their own citizens, by bringing these trades to an end.

  With the Winter Olympics coming up in 2018, this is the time to make change; this is the time to stop the illegal, inhumane and unnecessary cruelty. I know that South Korea has many beautiful, admirable, and noble practices and customs worth preserving, but this is not one of them.

  Thank you for your time and understanding.

• Send a Twitter message!

  Suggested Twitter text

  .@dreamsokcho .@happygangwon .@CityofGresham .@MayorShaneBemis Plz Urge Sister City Sokcho, S Korea-Stop Eating Dogs https://goo.gl/K7tcGn

No matter where you live, PLEASE SHARE these actions with your friends, especially those who live in Gresham!