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[Update January 12, 2017] Nashville, Tennessee responds “No official relationship with Seoul”

We have received a response on January 11, 2017, regarding our Friendship City Campaign with the Seoul Gwangjin District, South Korea, and Nashville, Tennessee. Official twitter for the City of Nashville responded by stating that “Mayor Barry has stated that we have no official relationship with Seoul at this time.” Click HERE to learn more.

Mayor Megan Barry of Nashville: Tell Friendship City, Seoul Gwangjin District, South Korea, That We’re Opposed to the Torture and Consumption of Dogs and Cats.

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.

Seoul Gwangjin District became Friendship city with Nashville in 2010.

In Seoul Gwangjin District, 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.

Korean TV news about Seoul Gyeongdong Dog Meat Market: https://koreandogs.org/street-horror-dog-slaughterhouses-heart-seoul/

A Search Engine reveals the sickening scale of Seoul Gwangjin District’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 104 Health Food Centers; and 49 restaurants in the vicinity of Seoul Gwangjin District.

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 Seoul Gwangjin District 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 the 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/

Call for Action

• No matter where you live, please SIGN OUR PETITION
• Click HERE to send an online message to the Mayor.
  Click HERE to send an online message to the members of the City Council.
• Send letter (Use the below-suggested message or petition):Office of the Mayor
  1 Public Square, Suite 100
  Nashville, TN 37201
  USA

  Send a copy of your letter to Seoul Gwangjin District Mayor Ki-Dong Kim:
  Mayor Ki-Dong Kim
  Seoul Gwangjin District Government
  117 Jayang-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul
  Postal Code 05026
  South Korea

  Address in Korean:
  김기동 구청장
  서울 광진구청
  (우)05026 서울특별시 광진구 자양로 117(자양동)
  South Korea

• Send a message through Facebook page: Nashville
  Mayor Megan Barry
  Seoul Gwangjin District
  

  Suggested email/letter/Facebook message

  Dear Mayor Barry 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/
  Korean TV news about Seoul Gyeongdong Dog Meat Market: https://koreandogs.org/street-horror-dog-slaughterhouses-heart-seoul/

  Do you think that Nashville should be a Friendship city to any city that allows dogs and cats to be tortured and eaten? Please urge Seoul Gwangjin District Mayor Ki-Dong Kim 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-megan-barry-of-nashville-tell-friendship-city-seoul-gwangjin-korea-that-we-re-opposed-to-consumption-of-dogs-cats
  The favor of your reply is requested.
  Thank you,

  [Your Name & City/Country]

• Call the Mayor’s Office: 615-862-6000

  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 Friendship city, Seoul Gwangjin District 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 Seoul Gwangjin District 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

  .@seoulmania .@gwangjingu .@NashvilleMetGov .@MayorMeganBarry Plz Urge FriendshipCity,SeoulGwangjin-stop eating dogs https://goo.gl/JqC7LE

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