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Graz Mayor Elke Kahr: Tell your Friendship City, Changwon, 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.

Changwon Mayor Huh Sung-Moo

Changwon became Friendship City with Graz, Austria, in 2016.

In Changwon, 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.

A Search Engine reveals the sickening scale of Changwon’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 Changwon.

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 Changwon 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 Graz mayor and the city council:

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  Send the CC (Carbon Copy) email to the Changwon City Council, Gyeongsangnam-do Council and the South Korean National Assembly members:

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• 📬 Send letter (Use the below-suggested message or petition):

  Mayoress Elke Kahr
  8010 Graz, Hauptplatz 1
  Austria

  📬 Send a copy of your letter to Changwon:

  Mayor Huh Sung-Moo
  City of Changwon
  151 Jungang-daero, Uichang-gu Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do
  Postal Code 51435
  South Korea

  Changwon City Council
  151 Jungang-daero, Uichang-gu Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do
  Postal Code 51435
  South Korea

  📬 Changwon’s addresses in Korean:

  허성무 창원 시장님
  창원시청
  (51435) 경상남도 창원시 의창구 중앙대로 151
  South Korea

  창원시의회
  (51435)경상남도 창원시 의창구 중앙대로 151
  South Korea

Suggested message

Subject: Graz Mayor Elke Kahr: Tell your Friendship City, Changwon, South Korea, that you are opposed to the torture and consumption of dogs and cats.

Dear Mayor Elke Kahr and the Graz City Council members:

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
Urgent Action Alert! Forest fire in Uljin burns dogs imprisoned in dog meat farms: https://koreandogs.org/uljin-fire/

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

In Changwon, 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. They are fed rotten garbage full of chili peppers not fit for any animals to eat, and they are never given water! Also, 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 Changwon.

Would you please urge Changwon Mayor Huh Sung-Moo 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 Changwon is in progress: https://chng.it/JzPknhN8.

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 German

Folter und Verzehr von Hunden und Katzen in Grazs Freundschaftsstadt Changwon, Südkorea

Sehr geehrte Frau Oberbürgermeisterin Elke Kahr,
Sehr geehrte Damen und Herren Stadtverordnete von Graz,

hiermit bitten wir Sie, sich die Videos aus 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
Dringender Aktionsalarm! Waldbrand in Uljin verbrennt Hunde, die in Hundefleischfarmen eingesperrt sind: https://koreandogs.org/uljin-fire/

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

In Changwon gibt es zahlreiche Hundefarmen, Hundeschlachthöfe, Hundefleischrestaurants und sogenannte „Gesundheitszentren“, in denen Suppe aus Hundefleisch als Elixier 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. Sie werden mit verfaultem Müll voller Chilischoten gefüttert, die für kein Tier zum Verzehr geeignet sind, und sie bekommen niemals(!) Wasser zum Trinken!

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 (auch bekannt als Hunde-Soju und Katzen-Soju) und Hundefleisch-Restaurants in Changwon verkaufen.

Würden Sie bitte den Bürgermeister von Changwon, Huh Sung-Moo, auffordern, alle illegalen Hundefarmen und Schlachthöfe, Märkte, Trucker und Restaurants, die ihre Produkte anbieten, zu schließen? Eine Online-Petition, die um Ihre Unterstützung bei der Beendigung der grausamen Hunde- und Katzenfleischquälerei in Changwon bittet, ist in Bearbeitung: https://chng.it/JzPknhN8.

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

Freundliche Grüsse,

• ☎️ Call the Graz Mayor’s office: Tel: +011 43 316 872-2000, Fax: +011 43 316 872-2009 (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, Changwon 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 Changwon 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 Changwon 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!
  .@cwopenspace .@huhmooo .@gyeongnamdo .@opensky86 .@love_opensky86 .@GrazStadt Tell #FriendshipCity #Changwon #SouthKorea that you oppose torture and consumption of #dogs #cats🐾https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ😢 https://vimeo.com/754160791😭 https://koreandogs.org/friendship-city-Changwon-Graz/📣 https://chng.it/JzPknhN8

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

Video: Watchdog shuts down slaughterhouses in Sacheon where dogs suffer for up to two and a half minutes in excruciating agony after being electrocuted.