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[Update August 22, 2019] Illegal “Meat Dog” auction house in Gimpo is shutting down!

Animal Rescue 119 (ARK119) and Animal Liberation Wave (ALW) reported on August 22, that they have succeeded in shutting down the illegal “Meat Dog” auction house in Gimpo. They will be gathering at the auction house site on August 28 (Wednesday) at 1:00 pm to observe silence for the countless victims of this place, a cage demolition performance, and the actual demolition of the cages by forklift. The address for this auction house is Geumpa-ro 378-bungi 19, Gochon-eup, Gimpo.

Thank you, ARK119, ALW, and all the Korean activists involved and all of our supporters who have taken action to help bring this victory!

Video: Animal Rescue 119.

Response from Gimpo:

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Shut down this awful dog auction site, where bidders bid for dogs such as jindos (one of the Korea’s national treasures), golden retrievers, labradors etc., while their cage mates watch on in horror as the humans try to out bid each other for their meat. This is an example of how horrific humans can be to our best friends. Let’s take action now to close this auction for good!

Below is a translation of the JTBC report on July 1, 2019:

Dog auction while the dogs are yelping…even the companion dogs are sold for meat.
[Anchor]
Ahead of Boknal, JTBC cameras captured the scene of buying and selling dogs for meat without distinguishing between ‘meat dogs’ and ‘companion dogs’.

There were dogs such as Jindos, which are Korea’s national treasure, and dogs that look like Golden Retrievers which are companion dogs. Choi Kyu-Jin reports on the condition of the ‘meat dog auction house’.

[Reporter]
A vehicle carrying a metal wire cage enters a warehouse.
Inside the warehouse, there are about 200 dogs inside the cages. This is an illegal “meat dog” auction site in Gimpo (Gyeonggi-do Province).

[Auctioneer: How can I help you? (I came to buy dogs.) Ok. Take a look around.]

The auction begins with the sound of a whistle blowing. Bargaining takes place as buyers jab at crying dogs with a stick. Instead of calling the dogs by their names, they are called by the price.

[Auctioneer: White dog! White dog! Start from 1 million won. 15,000 won! 28,000 won! 30,000 won!]

Auctions are held 3 times a week; 200 dogs from all over the country are brought here. In addition to Dosa dogs, which are commonly used for meat in Korea because of their size, there are also dogs like Golden Retrievers and Jindo dogs, which are Korea’s national treasures. This is illegal under the Animal Protection Act.

[Im Yeong-Ki / Animal Rescue 119 Director: They had the dogs divided by breeds. There’s no such thing as inspections done here. Only sales are taking place.]

The dogs that are not sold wait inside the cage, an empty food bowl beside them, for the next auction day. Some of the dogs inside the cage have injuries, while others are suspected of having skin diseases.

[Lee Ji-Yeon / Animal Liberation Wave Co-Director: The companion dogs and “meat dogs” are not treated differently at all at the auction house. From here, the dogs are sent to the illegal dog slaughterhouses scattered all around the country.]

Most of these meat dog auction houses are illegal but cracking down on them is not easy. That is because under current law, only companion dog sales require a license.

Video: Animal Liberation Wave.

Call for Action

• Click HERE to file a petition with the South Korean government through e-People online. (You can use our “Suggested message” below or your own words.)
• 📧 Send emails to the Gimpo City Council 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];
• 📧 Send emails to the Gyeonggi-do 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]; [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]; [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]; [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]; [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]; [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];
• Send letter:
  Mayor Jung Ha-Young
  City of Gimpo
  Saujungro 1, Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do
  Postal Code 10109
  South Korea

  Mayor’s address in Korean:
  정하영 김포 시장님
  김포시청
  (10109) 경기도 김포시 사우중로 1
  South Korea

  Gimpo City Council
  Saujungro 1 Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do
  Postal Code 10109
  South Korea

  Gimpo City Council’s address in Korean:
  김포시의회
  (10109) 경기도 김포시 사우중로 1
  South Korea

• Send a message through Facebook pages.
  

  Gimpo
  Gimpo Mayor
  Gimpo City Council
  Gyeonggi-do Government
  Gyeonggi-do Governor
  Gyeonggi-do Assembly

  🇰🇷Click HERE for the Korean translation of the suggested message which you can then add to your letter.🇰🇷

  📝 Suggested message

  Subject: Gimpo, South Korea, Shut down the illegal “meat dog” auction house immediately!

  Petition: https://www.change.org/p/gimpo-mayor-jeong-ha-young-gimpo-south-korea-shut-down-the-illegal-meat-dog-auction-house-immediately

  안녕하십니까.
  경기도 김포시 고촌읍 금파로378번길 19는 농지법 상 농지 이외의 용도로 전용할 수 없는 토지입니다. 그러나 상기 주소에 해당하는 농지는 개들을 식용 목적으로 사고 파는 불법 개 경매장으로 운영되고 있습니다. 김포시 고촌읍은 농지법을 위반한 해당 경매장을 철거할 수 있도록 강력한 행정력을 보여주십시오.
  감사합니다.

  Dear Mayor Jung Ha-Young and the Gimpo City Council members,

  Please watch this news, “울부짖는 개들 찔러대며 ‘흥정’…반려견도 ‘식용’ 판매” https://youtu.be/TiwG-CTNN2w.

  We ask you to take immediate action to crack down on this illegal dog auction house as well as all the illegal dog farms, slaughterhouses, markets and restaurants that serve dog meat in your city. We request that an official document be issued, mandating that the following existing Korean laws be enforced by its government officials, police and judges:

  Unauthorized processing of food waste fed to dogs in the meat trade violates the Wastes Control Act, Article 15-2, Article 25, Section 3. Suppliers of food waste and transporters of food waste to dog meat farms are violating this regulation.

  Food waste fed to dogs in the dog meat trade violates the Control of Livestock and Fish Feed Act, Article 14, Sections 1 & 2. The unauthorized collection of food waste and feeding it to dogs in the meat trade violates this regulation.

  Excrement and resulting environmental damage produced as a by-product of the illegal dog meat farm violates the Act on the Management and Use of Livestock Excreta Article 11. The excrement produced at dog meat farms causes environmental damage to the immediate and surrounding area.

  Slaughtering dogs for human consumption violates the Animal Protection Act Article 8, Section 1. Killing an animal by hanging it by the neck or by using any other cruel methods; killing an animal on the street or any other places open to the public or killing an animal with animals of the same kind present at the scene; killing an animal by failing to feed or water it on purpose; killing an animal without any justifiable grounds is clear violation of the Animal Protection Act.

  The slaughter of dogs by electrocution violates the Animal Protection Act, Article 8, Section 1, Clause 1. Inflicting an injury to animals by physical or chemical means, such as tools or drugs, is subject to legal punishment. Therefore, the routine slaughter of dogs by butchers and farmers by these methods violates the Act. (Penalty: imprisonment with labor for not more than three years or by a fine not exceeding 30 million won per Article 46 of the Animal Protection Act.) Further, electrocution as a method of slaughter is internationally recognized as an inherently cruel method of slaughter and banned globally. In Korea, the Supreme Court in 2020 convicted a case of slaughtering a dog using an electric iron skewer.

  The slaughter of dogs from an unauthorized slaughterhouse violates the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act, Article 7 Section 1. The Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act states that dogs are officially recognized and classified as “animals” that are “prohibited from being slaughtered and distributed as food for human consumption.” Therefore, those vendors operating dog slaughterhouses are operating outside of the parameters of the law and in violation of the law. (Penalty: imprisonment with labor for not more than 10 years or a fine not exceeding 100 million won per Article 45 of the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act.)

  The slaughter of dogs for consumption violates the Animal Protection Act, Article 10. The Act intends to ensure that no animal is slaughtered in a cruel or revolting manner, and shall be free from unnecessary pain, fear, or stress during the slaughter process. Therefore, the only humane way of slaughtering dogs would be by euthanasia (lethal injection). All currently practiced methods of slaughter by butchers, farmers and traders exclude euthanasia as a method of slaughter. Therefore, they are all in breach of this Act. This is also a violation of the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act Article 7 Section 1 Clause 2. According to the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act, the slaughter of animals for their consumption is allowed only for the livestock animals publicly announced as livestock classification in the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act and dogs are not classified here.

  The display and sale of dog carcasses in traditional outdoor markets violate the Food Sanitation Act, Article 4, 5. Violation of laws banning the sale of harmful food due to the contamination from the unsanitary and illegal slaughter of the animal and display of the dog carcass. For example, dog carcasses are routinely contaminated by microorganisms that cause human diseases and food poisoning, leading to severe and life-threatening health complications. There are also strict laws that ban the sale of meat from sick animals. Because there is no quality control or proper monitoring of slaughter practices in the dog meat trade, likely, these laws are routinely violated.

  Dog meat restaurants’ sale of dog meat soup made with dog carcasses from an unknown source violates the Food Sanitation Act Article 44 Section 1 Clause 1. Uninspected livestock products must not be transported, stored, displayed, sold, or used to manufacture or process food for human consumption.

  Dog meat consumption is a catastrophe brought about by the government’s inaction. Here are reasons why dog meat consumption is illegal.
  Breeding: https://www.ekara.org/activity/against/read/16556
  Slaughter: https://www.ekara.org/activity/against/read/19677

  The United States House of Representatives has formally passed H.Res. 401, “Calls for an end to the dog and cat meat industry and urges all nations to outlaw the dog and cat meat trade.” (https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-resolution/401)

  International coverage of the brutal dog and cat meat trade in South Korea has stained your city’s image. The time to end this tragedy is now. An online petition calling for your immediate action to end the horrendous South Korean dog and cat meat cruelty is in progress:
  1. https://www.change.org/p/gimpo-mayor-jeong-ha-young-gimpo-south-korea-shut-down-the-illegal-meat-dog-auction-house-immediately
  2. https://www.change.org/p/gimpo-dear-mayor-jeong-ha-young-gimpo-south-korea-shut-down-the-illegal-dog-meat-farms-slaughterhouses-and-markets
  The favor of your reply is requested.

  [Your Name & City/Country]

• Send a Twitter message!

  Suggested Twitter text

  .@Gimpo_lover .@ggholic .@Jaemyung_Lee Gimpo, South Korea, Shut down the illegal “meat dog” auction house immediately! https://www.change.org/p/gimpo-dear-mayor-jeong-ha-young-gimpo-south-korea-shut-down-the-illegal-dog-meat-farms-slaughterhouses-and-markets
  https://www.change.org/p/gimpo-mayor-jeong-ha-young-gimpo-south-korea-shut-down-the-illegal-meat-dog-auction-house-immediately

Call for Action in Korean

Sharing for Animal Liberation Wave and Animal Rescue 119:

죽음을 사고 파는 중간 유통경로 개 경매장

🔥농지로 사용해야 할 곳에서 개를 사고파는 김포 고촌읍 개 경매장은 농지법 위반입니다. 농지를 다른 용도로 전용, 불법으로 운영하는 개 경매장을 폐쇄할 수 있도록 민원을 넣어주세요! 여러분의 ⚠️적극적인 참여⚠️가 개 경매장을 🚫철폐🚫하는 데 큰 힘이 됩니다.

🆘민원 액션 참여하기🆘
1. 국민신문고(www.e-People.go.kr)에 들어가서 로그인하기 👉프로필링크 클릭！

2. 민원신청>민원발생지역에 ‘경기도’ ‘김포시’ 선택

3. 📝다음 글 복사해서 민원 내용 채우기

안녕하십니까.
경기도 김포시 고촌읍 금파로378번길 19는 농지법 상 농지 이외의 용도로 전용할 수 없는 토지입니다. 그러나 상기 주소에 해당하는 농지는 개들을 식용 목적으로 사고 파는 불법 개 경매장으로 운영되고 있습니다. 김포시 고촌읍은 농지법을 위반한 해당 경매장을 철거할 수 있도록 강력한 행정력을 보여주십시오.
감사합니다.

4.처리기관 선택에 ‘지방자치단체’>’경기도’>’김포시’ 선택 하여 제출

🆘많은 사람들에게 공유하기!🆘