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Update on November 30, 2017: Ms. Cousens with the Council of Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames has kindly informed us that our petition set up on the Kingston Council’s petition site did not meet the minimum of 500 signatures required for the council’s debate. However, she has informed us that it might be presented under Item 5.1 of the agenda which is to ‘receive’ petitions (which may be of any size and which will then usually be referred to the relevant committee to consider). We appreciate all the support that Ms. Counsens has provided us to support our campaign.

Update on October 11, 2017: As advised by the Kinstong Council Democratice Services, we have set up our petition on the Kingston Council’s petition site in order to collect only the petition signatures from those who live, work and study in Kinstong. If you qualify, please sign our petition and share. Click HERE to sign.

Below is the communication we received from the Kingston Council Democratic Services “Our Council Petition Scheme indicates that eligible signatures are those from people who ‘live, work and study’ in the Royal Borough. The criteria for debating a petition at Council is 500 eligible signatures. Although the petition could still be presented at the Council meeting, it is possible that councillors could take a decision not to debate it because it does not have 500 local signatures. One solution which you may wish to consider is that the Council has its own online petition system (which might access more local people) about which you can find information (about how to register to start a petition) at this link:
https://www.kingston.gov.uk/info/200274/consultations_surveys_forums_and_petitions/793/petitions/3“
We area grateful to the Kingston Council for supporting our campaign by providing us with information to get our petition heard.

Update on August 24, 2017: In response to our petition, the Democratic Support of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames sent us a response as below.

Petition Policy of The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London, United Kingdom:

If a petition contains more than 500 signatures, it will be debated by the full Council unless
it is a petition asking for a senior Council officer to give evidence at a public meeting. The
Council will endeavour to consider the petition at its next meeting, although on some
occasions this may not be possible and consideration will then take place at the following
meeting.

The petition organiser will be given five minutes to present the petition at the meeting and
the petition will then be discussed by Councillors for a maximum of 30 minutes. The
Council will decide how to respond to the petition at this meeting. The petition organiser
will receive written confirmation of this decision.

Update on July 24, 2017: In response to our petition, the Democratic Support of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames sent us a copy of their petition Scheme on July 21. On July 24, 2017, we submitted a written petition with the print out of our change.org petition signatures to comply with their petition requirement as much as possible. It was sent by USPS Global Priority mail. Click HERE for the tracking info.

Mayor Julie Pickering of The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London: Tell Friendship City, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 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.

Gwanak-gu, Seoul became Friendship city with The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London in 2006.

In Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 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 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 Gwanak-gu, Seoul’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 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 160 Health Food Shops and 71 restaurants in the vicinity of Gwanak-gu, Seoul.

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 in the vicinity of Gwanak-gu, Seoul to supply these outlets.

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

https://koreandogs.org/meat-dogs-in-wire-cages-feed-on-rotten-food-waste-slops/

Please sign petition, call, write and email the The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London Mayor TODAY!

• Send Email: [email protected]; [email protected];
  

 

• Send letter (Use the below-suggested message or petition):Democratic Support
  3rd Floor
  Guildhall
  Kingston upon Thames
  KT1 1EU
  United Kingdom

  Send a copy of your letter to Gwanak-gu Mayor Jong-Pil Yoo:
  Mayor Jong-Pil Yoo
  Seoul Gwanak-gu District Office
  145 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul
  Postal Code 08832
  South Korea

  Address in Korean:
  유종필구청장님
  서울관악구청
  (08832) 서울특별시 관악구 관악로 145
  South Korea

 

• Send a message through Facebook page:
  The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London
  Mayor Julie Pickering
  Gwanak-gu, Seoul
  Seoul Gwanak-gu Mayor Jong-Pil Yoo

  Suggested email/letter/Facebook message

  Dear Mayor Pickering and the City Council members,

  We ask you to please watch the videos of South Korea’s dog meat industry: https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ
  https://koreandogs.org/horrible-reality-of-meat-dog-farms-you-did-not-know/
  https://koreandogs.org/dmp/
  https://koreandogs.org/companion-animals-for-consumption/.

  Do you think that The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London should be a Friendship city to any city that allows dogs and cats to be tortured and eaten? Please urge Seoul Gwanak-gu Mayor Jong-Pil Yoo 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-julie-pickering-of-the-royal-borough-of-kingston-upon-thames-london-tell-friendship-city-gwanak-seoul-korea-that-we-re-opposed-to-the-consumption-of-dogs
  The favor of your reply is requested.
  Thank you,

  [Your Name & City/Country]

• Call the Mayor’s Office: 020 8547 5020

  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 Gwanak-gu 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 Gwanak-gu 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 .@yoojongpil .@RBKingston .@CllrJPickering Plz Urge Friendship City Gwanak,Seoul,Korea-Stop eating dogs https://goo.gl/3zF6ub

 

No matter where you live, PLEASE SHARE these actions with your friends, especially those who live in The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, London!