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Aachen City Region Council Chairman Dr. Tim Grüttemeier, Aachen Mayor Sibylle Keupen: Tell Friendship City, Ansan, 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.

Ansan Mayor Yoon Hwa-Seop

Ansan became a Friendship City to Aachen Region, Germany, in 2019.

In Ansan, there are numerous dog farms, slaughterhouses, markets, and dog meat 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 in Korea, dogs are 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.

A Search Engine reveals the sickening scale of Ansan’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 many dozens of “Health Centers” and dog meat restaurants in the vicinity of Ansan.

Even if half of these “Health 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 Ansan 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 Aachen City Region council chairman, and Aachen mayor and the city council members:

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📧 CC (Carbon Copy) the Ansan city council, Gyeonggi-do Assembly, and 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]; [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):

  Mayor Tim Grüttemeier
  Büro Städteregionstag
  Zollernstraße 16
  52070 Aachen
  Germany

  📬 Send a copy of your letter to the Ansan Mayor:

  Mayor Yoon Hwa-Seop
  Ansan City Hall
  387 Hwarang-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyeonggi-do
  Postal Code 15335
  South Korea

  📬 Ansan address in Korean:

  윤화섭 안산시장님
  안산시청
  (15335) 경기도 안산시 단원구 화랑로 387
  South Korea

📝 Suggested message

Subject: Aachen City Region Council Chairman Dr. Tim Grüttemeier, Aachen Mayor Sibylle Keupen: Tell Friendship City, Ansan, South Korea, that you are opposed to the torture and consumption of dogs and cats.

Dear Chairman Dr. Tim Grüttemeier, Mayor Sibylle Keupen and the Aachen Region and City Council members:

We ask you to please watch the videos of South Korea’s dog meat industry:
Shocking Cruelty of South Korea’s Dog Meat Industry, Part 1 of 2: https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ
Part 2 of 2: https://vimeo.com/754160791
Forest fire in Uljin burns dogs imprisoned in dog meat farms.: https://koreandogs.org/uljin-fire/
South Korea – Unbelievable Truth (Companion Animals for Consumption): https://koreandogs.org/companion-animals-for-consumption/.

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

In Ansan, 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 Korea, 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” that commonly sell dog/cat elixirs (dog soju and cat soju) and dog meat restaurants in Ansan.

Would you please urge Ansan Mayor Yoon Hwa-Seop 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 Ansan’s dog and cat meat cruelty is in progress: https://chng.it/MWm2TZ2B.

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

Sincerely,

Suggested message in German

Folter und Verzehr von Hunden und Katzen in Aachens Freundschaftsstadt Ansan, Südkorea.

Sehr geehrte Frau Oberbürgermeisterin Sibylle Keupen,
Sehr geehrter Herr Dr. Grüttemeier,
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren Mitglieder des Stadtrates und des Städteregionsrates von Aachen:

wir bitten Sie, sich die Videos der südkoreanischen Hundefleischindustrie anzusehen: Schockierende Grausamkeit der südkoreanischen Hundefleischindustrie, Teil 1 von 2: https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ
Teil 2 von 2: https://vimeo.com/754160791
Waldbrand in Uljin verbrennt Hunde, die in Hundefleischfarmen eingesperrt sind.: https://koreandogs.org/uljin-fire/
Südkorea – Unbelievable Truth (Haustiere zum Verzehr): https://koreandogs.org/companion-animals-for-consumption/.

Denken Sie, dass die Region Aachen Freundschaftsstadt für eine Stadt sein sollte, die es zulässt, dass Hunde und Katzen von Menschen gequält und verzehrt werden?

In Ansan gibt es zahlreiche Hundefarmen, Hundeschlachthöfe, Hundefleischrestaurants und sogenannte „Gesundheitszentren“, in denen Suppe aus Hundefleisch als Lebenselixier serviert wird. Hunde leiden ihr ganzes Leben lang in dreckigen, mit Fäkalien verkrusteten Drahtkäfigen in äußerstem Elend, nur um auf die grausamste Art und Weise geschlachtet zu werden. Sie werden durch Stromschlag, Hammerschläge auf Kopf und Hals getötet, aufgehängt, zu Tode geprügelt, ihnen wird die Kehle durchgeschnitten, sie werden mit einer Lötlampe bei lebendigem Leib verbrannt oder sie werden noch am Leben in einen Bottich mit kochendem Wasser geworfen. An vielen Orten in Korea werden Hunde vor den Augen anderer verängstigter, eingesperrter Hunde getötet, die vor Entsetzen zittern. Diese armen Hunde werden oft lebendig in ihren Käfigen verbrannt und können nicht entkommen. Darüber hinaus werden die geliebten Haustiere der Menschen oft gestohlen und an diese Unternehmen verkauft, wo sie dasselbe schreckliche Schicksal erleiden. Hunde und Welpen, die an Krankheiten gestorben sind, werden wie Müll weggeworfen und oft vor Käfigen zurückgelassen, wo sie verrotten, während die Mutterhunde zusehen und verzweifelt nach ihren toten Babys schreien.

Die koreanischen Internetrecherchen führten zu Dutzenden von „Gesundheitszentren“, die üblicherweise Hunde-/Katzenelixiere (Hunde-Soju und Katzen-Soju) und Hundefleischrestaurants in Ansan verkaufen.

Würden Sie bitte den Bürgermeister von Ansan, Yoon Hwa-Seop, auffordern, all diese illegalen Hundefarmen und Schlachthöfe, Märkte, Trucker und Restaurants zu schließen, die diese Tierprodukte anbieten? Eine Online-Petition, die um Ihre Unterstützung bei der Beendigung der grausamen Hunde- und Katzenfleischquälerei von Ansan bittet, ist in Arbeit: https://chng.it/MWm2TZ2B.

Im Namen aller Tiere, die unvorstellbare Grausamkeiten in der Hunde- und Katzenfleischindustrie erleiden, danken wir Ihnen und erwarten Ihre Antwort.

Freundliche Grüsse,

• ☎️ Call the Aachen Region Council Chairman’s office: Tel.: +011 49 241 5198-2442, Fax: +011 49 241 5198-82324 (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, Ansan, 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 Ansan and Korean 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 Ansan to urge them to enforce their laws, not ignore them, show compassion to their companion animals, and respect their citizens by bringing these trades 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!
  .@ansancityhall .@ggholic .@Jaemyung_Lee .@SR_Aachen_News .@PresseamtAachen Tell FriendshipCity #Ansan #SouthKorea that you are opposed to torture/killing of #Dogs #Cats #Dogmeat https://chng.it/MWm2TZ2B😿https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ🐾https://vimeo.com/754160791🙏https://koreandogs.org/Friendship-city-Ansan-Aachen

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