A Plea for Compassion: Protect Chained Dogs from Burning Alive in South Korean Wildfires (Sister Province: Gangwon Province & Colorado)

posted by KoreanDogs.org team on April 9,2025 in Action Alert, Break the Chains, Forest fire, Sister city, South Korea

Despite the revised Animal Protection Act of 2023, South Korea continues to allow the cruel practice of lifelong tethering, often with chains far shorter than the supposed two-meter minimum. Weak enforcement leaves countless “rural dogs” to suffer in filth, neglect, and isolation, treated as mere property.

Tragically, this systemic neglect results in horrific deaths during disasters like the recent wildfires. Helpless dogs, chained and caged, are left to burn alive as their owners evacuate, abandoning their loyal companions to unimaginable agony. This is not mere indifference but a callous betrayal that stains South Korea’s conscience.

With its inadequate leash length and poor enforcement, the revised law fails to protect these animals. Lifelong tethering must be banned outright.

We demand immediate action:
• Enact and strictly enforce a complete ban on lifelong tethering.
• Drastically strengthen enforcement of animal welfare laws with severe penalties for neglect.
• Mandatory disaster evacuation protocols must unequivocally require the evacuation of all dogs alongside their human guardians, forbidding any dog from being left tethered or confined during evacuations.

We urge the Sister Cities of South Korea to take a stand against this cruelty. Their partnerships cannot ignore the horrific reality of dogs chained and left to burn alive. We ask them to contact their counterparts in South Korea and demand meaningful laws to protect dogs, including a ban on tethering and mandatory pet evacuation during emergencies.

The world is watching. South Korea must move beyond ineffective minimum standards and implement real change to end this unimaginable suffering. Demand action now.

The horrific April 2019 Gangwon-do wildfire in South Korea, which caused a national emergency and the evacuation of 4,000 people, resulted in the tragic deaths of countless chained and caged animals who burned in the flames. CARE.

Video: Amidst the devastating South Korean wildfires that killed many and destroyed homes, junior dogs who escaped a burning dog farm were found by CARE, demonstrating incredible loyalty by staying together despite severe burns and starvation, highlighting the tragic abandonment of countless animals and the urgent need for improved animal welfare.
Amidst the Inferno: Junior Dogs Found and Rescued, Clinging to Each Other.🐾🐾 CARE

✍ Sign the Petition

Call for Action

👉 📧 Click HERE to send an online message to the Governor of Colorado.

📌 For “How can we help?”, select “I want to share my comments.”
For “Subject”, select “Other”.
Optionally, check the “Confidentiality Statement” box to keep your comment confidential (exempt from public disclosure).

👉 📧 Email the Colorado Governor’s office, members of the Gangwon Provincial Council, and the South Korean National Assembly.

👉 📬 Mail the letter.

Governor Jared Polis
State Capitol Building
200 E. Colfax Ave., Rm. 136
Denver, CO 80203
USA

📬 Send a copy of your letter to Gangwon Province:

Governor Kim Jin-tae
Gangwon-do Province
1 Joongang-ro, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do
Postal Code 24266
South Korea

Gangwon-do Provincial Council
1 Joongang-ro, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do
Postal Code 24266
South Korea

📬 Gangwon Province address in Korean:

김진태 도지사님
강원도청
(24266) 강원도 춘천시 중앙로 1
South Korea

강원도의회
(24266) 강원도 춘천시 중앙로 1
South Korea

📝 Suggested message

URGENT GLOBAL OUTCRY: END CRUEL LIFELONG TETHERING AND THE HORRIFIC, REPEATED DEATHS OF DOGS IN YOUR SISTER PROVINCE OF GANGWON DURING WILDFIRES

Dear Governor Jared Polis and Esteemed Representatives of Colorado,

I am writing with outrage and urgency regarding the unspeakable cruelty of lifelong tethering of dogs in your Sister Province of Gangwon, South Korea, and its catastrophic consequences during wildfires. We value the Sister Province relationship and urge your immediate, principled action on this international animal welfare crisis.

The barbaric practice of lifelong tethering—often on chains shorter than 3 feet, causing chronic neglect and suffering—renders countless sentient beings defenseless during natural disasters. Tragically, repeated wildfires in South Korea have led to horrific, preventable deaths of tethered dogs who are unable to escape. This reflects a deeply disturbing lack of compassion within segments of the Korean community toward these loyal animals’ agonizing plight.

Witness this brutal reality (Warning: Disturbing images of animal suffering in the following videos):

These loyal creatures are deliberately left chained during evacuations and condemned to burn alive. This recurring horror, fueled by inadequate laws, insufficient emergency preparedness, and a shocking disregard for their suffering, demands immediate and forceful international condemnation.

As leaders of a Sister State to Gangwon Province, you have a powerful platform for ethical advocacy. We implore you to recognize the moral imperative of ending this cruelty and preventing further animal suffering. Decisive action on the international level is crucial.

Therefore, we urgently request that you:

1. STRONGLY CONDEMN lifelong tethering and the repeated, devastating immolation of dogs in your Sister Province due to wildfires, directly addressing the lack of compassion that allows this to persist.

2. IMMEDIATELY REACH OUT to your counterparts in Gangwon Province to express profound global outrage and condemnation for this ongoing cruelty. Emphasize that the continued failure to ban tethering and protect animals during wildfires risks South Korea’s international reputation, highlighting a disturbing absence of empathy.

3. STRONGLY URGE the leadership of Gangwon Province to take swift, decisive action by engaging with the national government to implement CRITICAL animal protection measures:

IMMEDIATE AND STRICTLY ENFORCED BAN on lifelong tethering.
IMMEDIATE ADOPTION AND ENFORCEMENT of mandatory evacuation protocols, ensuring the inclusion of all companion animals.
SUBSTANTIAL INVESTMENT in public awareness campaigns to promote responsible pet guardianship.
SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED PENALTIES for neglect and abandonment, particularly during disasters, to send a clear message that such disregard for animals negatively impacts South Korea’s global reputation.

4. OFFER YOUR STATE’S EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES in establishing robust animal welfare standards (including a tethering ban) and comprehensive emergency preparedness to assist Gangwon Province in preventing these recurring tragedies.

The ongoing cruelty of lifelong tethering and the repeated, horrific deaths of countless dogs in South Korean wildfires are an unconscionable stain born from a shocking absence of empathy. As a Sister State, you hold a profound moral obligation to utilize your international relationship to passionately champion these sentient beings’ fundamental right to live free from chains and the terror of a cruel death. We request decisive and immediate action on the global stage to end this tragic cycle. An online petition urging your support to stop these horrors in Gangwon Province is in progress: https://chng.it/YRjSVVp6D8. We implore you to give this critical matter your urgent and unwavering attention, demonstrating your commitment to animal welfare within your sphere of influence and beyond.

Sincerely,

[Your name, city, country]

👉 Post on X and Bluesky.

A Plea for Compassion: Protect Chained Dogs from Burning Alive in South Korean Wildfires Sister State: Gangwon Province & Colorado #BanDogTetheringKorea #EndDogChainingKorea #AnimalWelfareKorea ✍️https://chng.it/YRjSVVp6D8✊https://koreandogs.org/a-plea-for-compassion-Gangwon-Colorado/👉🏽Join FB https://www.facebook.com/BanTether/

👉 Join the effort! Click HERE and HERE for more ways you can help.

Video: CARE rescued a dog in South Korea with both eyes severely burned by the fire.

Video: Daan spent three agonizing years tied to a tree, enduring harsh weather, malnutrition, and blindness with no love or shelter, until he was finally rescued—too late to regain his health but given a chance to experience kindness. Despite medical care and a brief time in a safe space, he passed away, leaving behind a heartbreaking reminder of the cruelty animals endure and a plea for compassion toward all sentient beings. To learn more, click 👉 HERE, HERE, HERE.

Categories: Action Alert, Break the Chains, Forest fire, Sister city, South Korea