Blog

Campaign updated on 10/7/2022.

Lucca Mayor Alessandro Tambellini: Tell your Friendship City, Uijeongbu, South Korea, that you are 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.

Uijeongbu became Friendship City with Lucca, Italy, in 2019.

In Uijeongbu, there are numerous 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 broad daylight. In addition, many abandoned and stolen former pets end up in this industry and are subject to the same cruelty.

Video: A dog farm in Uijeongbu. The Dog Meat Professionals: South Korea

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

Two searches on Naver (the most popular search engine in Korea) – one was for so-called “Health 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” – resulted in dozens of Health Centers and dog meat restaurants in Uijeongbu.

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 Uijeongbu to supply these outlets.

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

Call for Action

• 📧 Send emails to the Lucca mayor, municipal council, and city council members:

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  Send the CC (Carbon Copy) email to the Uijeongbu City Council, Gyeonggido Assembly and the South Korean National Assembly members:

  [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
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• 📬 Send letter (Use the below-suggested message or petition):

  Office of Mayor Alessandro Tambellini
  Lucca City Hall
  Via Santa Giustina 6 – Palazzo Orsetti
  55100 Lucca
  Italy

  📬 Send a copy of your letter to Uijeongbu:

  Mayor Kim Dong-geun
  City of Uijeongbu
  1 Simin-ro, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi-do
  Postal Code 11622
  South Korea

  Uijeongbu City Council
  41 Uijeong-ro, Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi-do
  Postal Code 11622
  South Korea

  📬 Uijeongbu’s addresses in Korean:

  김동근 의정부시장님
  의정부시청
  우)11622 경기도 의정부시 시민로 1
  South Korea

  의정부 시의회
  11622 경기도 의정부시 의정로 41
  South Korea

Suggested message

Subject: Mayor Tambellini and the Lucca City Council members: Tell your Friendship City, Uijeongbu, South Korea, that you are opposed to the torture and consumption of dogs and cats.

Dear Mayor Tambellini and the members of the Lucca City Council:

We ask you to please watch the videos from South Korea’s dog meat industry:
Shocking Cruelty of South Korean Dog Meat Industry, Part 1 of 2: https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ
Part 2 of 2: https://vimeo.com/754160791
Dog slaughterhouse in Uijeongbu: https://koreandogs.org/kara-uijeongbu-shingok-dong-slaughterhouse-rescue/
Urgent Action Alert! Forest fire in Uljin burns dogs imprisoned in dog meat farms: https://koreandogs.org/uljin-fire/

Do you think Lucca should be a Friendship city to any city that allows dogs and cats to be tortured and eaten by people?

In Uijeongbu, there are numerous dog farms, dog slaughterhouses, dog meat restaurants, and so-called “Health Centers” where they serve soup made of dog meat as an elixir. Dogs suffer their entire lives in filthy, feces encrusted raised wire cages in utter misery only to be slaughtered in the most horrific ways. They are killed by electrocution, hammer strikes to their head and necks, being hung, being beaten to death, having their throats slit, being burned alive with a blowtorch, or thrown into a vat of boiling water while still alive. In many places in Uijeongbu, dogs are killed in full view of other terrified, caged dogs who tremble with terror. These poor dogs are often burned alive in their cages, unable to escape. In addition, people’s beloved pets are often stolen and sold to these businesses, where they meet the same horrific fate. Dogs and puppies who died of diseases are tossed away like garbage, often left in front of cages to rot while the mother dogs watch and cry out in despair for their dead babies.

The Korean internet searches resulted in dozens of Health Centers which commonly sell dog/cat elixirs (also known as dog soju and cat soju) and dog meat restaurants in Uijeongbu.

Would you please urge Uijeongbu Mayor Kim Dong-geun to close down all illegal dog farms and slaughterhouses, markets, truckers, and restaurants that serve their products? An online petition calling for your support in ending the horrendous dog and cat meat cruelty in Uijeongbu is in progress: https://chng.it/dqMm7ryN.

On behalf of all the animals suffering unimaginable cruelty in the dog and cat meat industry, we thank you in advance and await your reply.

Sincerely,

Suggested message in Italian

Al Sig. Sindaco Tambellini e ai componenti del Consiglio Comunale di Lucca: Dite alla vostra città gemellata, Uijeongbu, in Corea del Sud, che siete contrari alla tortura e all’uso alimentare di cani e gatti.

Spettabile Sindaco Tambellini e componenti del Consiglio Comunale di Lucca:

Vi chiediamo cortesemente di guardare i video sull’industria della carne di cane della Corea del Sud:
Crudeltà scioccante dell’industria della carne di cane sudcoreana, parte 1 di 2: https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ
Parte 2 di 2: https://vimeo.com/754160791
Macello per cani a Uijeongbu: https://koreandogs.org/kara-uijeongbu-shingok-dong-slaughterhouse-rescue/
Avviso di azione urgente! Un incendio boschivo a Uljin brucia i cani imprigionati negli allevamenti di carne di cane: https://koreandogs.org/uljin-fire/

Ritenete che Lucca debba essere una città gemellata con una qualche città che permetta a cani e gatti di essere torturati e mangiati dalle persone?

A Uijeongbu esistono numerosi allevamenti di cani, macelli di cani, ristoranti di carne di cane e cosiddetti “Centri Sanitari” dove servono zuppe a base di carne di cane come elisir. I cani soffrono per tutta la vita in sudice gabbie di filo metallico, incrostate di feci e sollevate da terra, in condizioni assolutamente miserande, solo per essere massacrati nei modi più orribili.

Essi vengono uccisi mediante folgorazione, colpi di martello alla testa e al collo, impiccati, picchiati a morte, sgozzati, bruciati vivi con una fiamma ossidrica o gettati in una vasca di acqua bollente mentre sono ancora vivi. In molti luoghi di Uijeongbu, i cani vengono uccisi in piena vista di altri cani atterriti e stipati in piccole in gabbie che tremano di terrore. Questi poveri cani vengono spesso bruciati vivi nelle loro gabbie, incapaci di scappare. Inoltre, animali domestici amati dalle persone vengono spesso rubati e venduti a queste attività, dove incontrano lo stesso orribile destino. Cani e cuccioli morti di malattie vengono gettati via come spazzatura, spesso lasciati davanti alle gabbie a marcire mentre le cagne madri guardano e gridano disperate per i loro cuccioli morti.

Ricerche su Internet in Corea hanno evidenziato dozzine di Centri Sanitari che vendono comunemente elisir di cani o gatti (noti anche come dog soju e cat soju) e ristoranti di carne di cane a Uijeongbu.

Vorreste per favore esortare il sindaco di Uijeongbu, il Sig. Kim Dong-geun, a fermare l’attività illegale di tutti gli allevamenti e dei macelli di cani, dei mercati, dei trasportatori e dei ristoranti che servono i loro prodotti? È in corso una petizione online che chiede il vostro sostegno per porre fine all’orrenda crudeltà della carne di cani e gatti a Uijeongbu: https://chng.it/dqMm7ryN.

A nome di tutti gli animali che subiscono una crudeltà inimmaginabile nel settore della carne di cane e gatto, vi ringraziamo in anticipo e restiamo in attesa della vostra risposta.

Distinti saluti,

• ☎️ Call the Lucca Mayor’s office:+011 39 0583 442549 (calling from the United States)
  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, Uijeongbu 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 affiliate 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.

  This illegal industry is being allowed to continue by Uijeongbu authorities – even though there is growing opposition from pet owners across South Korea and worldwide.

  So, I am asking you to please speak with your counterparts in Uijeongbu to urge them to enforce their laws, not ignore them, show compassion to their companion animals, and respect their citizens by bringing this cruel industry to an end.

  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!
  .@hope_u .@byahn21 .@ggholic .@Jaemyung_Lee .@comunedilucca Tell #FriendshipCity #Uijeongbu #SouthKorea that you are opposed to torture/eating #dogs #cats🐾https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ😢https://vimeo.com/754160791😭👊https://koreandogs.org/friendship-city-Uijeongbu-Lucca/📣https://chng.it/dqMm7ryN #Hyundai #Samsung #Kia

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