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

posted by KoreanDogs.org team on May 31,2025 in Action Alert, Break the Chains, Forest fire, Sister city, South Korea

Jeollabuk Provincial Governor Kim Kwan-young

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 Washington.

📌 Under *What is the subject of your message?, select “Animal.”

👉 📧 Email the Washington Governor’s office, the Jeonbuk State Council, and the South Korean National Assembly.

👉 📬 Mail the letter.

Governor Bob Ferguson
Office of the Governor
PO Box 40002
Olympia, WA 98504-0002
USA

📬 Send a copy of your letter to Jeollabuk Province:

Governor Kim Kwan-young
Jeollabuk-do Province
225 Hyoja-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do
Postal Code 54968
South Korea

Jeollabuk-do Provincial Assembly
225 Hyoja-ro, Wansan-gu, Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do
Postal Code 54968
South Korea

📬 Jeollabuk Province address in Korean:

김관영 도지사님
전라북도청
(54968) 전라북도 전주시 완산구 효자로 225
South Korea

전라북도의회
(54968) 전라북도 전주시 완산구 효자로 225
South Korea

📝 Suggested message

Urgent Global Outcry: End Cruel Lifelong Tethering and the Horrific, Repeated Deaths of Dogs in Your Sister Province of Jeollabuk During Wildfires

Dear Governor Bob Ferguson and Esteemed Representatives of Washington,

I am writing with outrage and urgency regarding the unspeakable cruelty of lifelong tethering of dogs in your Sister Province of Jeollabuk, 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 using chains shorter than three feet—results in chronic neglect and suffering, leaving countless sentient beings defenseless during natural disasters. Tragically, repeated wildfires in South Korea have led to horrific, preventable deaths of tethered dogs who were unable to escape. This reflects a deeply disturbing lack of compassion in some segments of Korean society toward the agony of these loyal animals.

Witness this brutal reality (Warning: Graphic content 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 Jeollabuk 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 respectfully urge you to:

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 Jeollabuk Province to express profound global outrage. Emphasize that the continued failure to ban tethering and protect animals during wildfires threatens South Korea’s international reputation.

3. URGE THE LEADERSHIP OF JEOLLABUK PROVINCE to enact critical animal protection reforms by working with the national government to:

Implement an immediate and strictly enforced ban on lifelong tethering.
Establish and enforce mandatory evacuation protocols that include all companion animals.
Launch public awareness campaigns promoting responsible pet guardianship.
Introduce stronger penalties for neglect and abandonment, particularly during disasters.

4. OFFER YOUR STATE’S EXPERTISE AND RESOURCES to help Jeollabuk Province develop robust animal welfare standards (including a tethering ban) and comprehensive emergency preparedness measures.

The continued cruelty of lifelong tethering and the repeated, horrific deaths of dogs in South Korean wildfires represent a profound moral failing. As a Sister State, Washington has a unique and urgent opportunity—and responsibility—to act. These sentient beings deserve to live free from chains and the terror of preventable, horrific death. We urge you to take decisive, compassionate action on the global stage.

An online petition urging your support is underway: https://chng.it/LcBv6msdQP. We implore you to treat this issue with the urgency and seriousness it deserves, showing true leadership in the cause of animal welfare.

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: Jeollabuk Province & Washington #BanDogTetheringKorea #EndDogChainingKorea #AnimalWelfareKorea✍️https://chng.it/LcBv6msdQP✊https://koreandogs.org/a-plea-for-compassion-Jeollabuk-NewJersey/👉🏽Join FB https://www.facebook.com/BanTether/

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

Video: Left chained to farm equipment as a wildfire engulfed her village in South Korea, Bbibbi, a year-old puppy, was found barely alive with severe burns after her owner abandoned her, highlighting a critical lack of empathy and inadequate animal protection laws. https://koreandogs.org/bbibbi/

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