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The President of Italy, Honorable Sergio Mattarella: Please tell your Partnership Country, South Korea, that you oppose 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.

The Korea JoongAng Daily reported on November 8, 2023, that “President Yoon Suk Yeol and Italian President Sergio Mattarella agreed to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in fields including advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, hydrogen and space Wednesday… Yoon and Mattarella sat for bilateral talks, attended a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony and took part in a joint press briefing…. Korea’s Institute for Basic Science and Italy’s National Institute of Nuclear Physics also signed an MOU to expand joint research in basic science.”

In South Korea, 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.

Video: Dogs who suffered their entire lives are electric tortured and killed in cages—South Korea’s horrific dog meat industry. jtbc News.[추적보도 훅] 철창 갇힌 채 감전사…’먹히기 위해’ 죽어가는 개들 / JTBC 뉴스룸

A Search Engine reveals the sickening scale of South Korea’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 thousands of Health Centers and dog meat restaurants in South Korea.

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 South Korea 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

• 📧 Email the President and President of the Council of Ministers of Italy.

  [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];

  📧 Send the CC (Carbon Copy) email to the South Korean National Assembly members.

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• 📧 Click HERE to send an online message to the President.

  💡 Nazione (Country) is listed in Italian.
  For example, The United States of America is “STATI UNITI D’AMERICA.”
  To translate your country into Italian, use Google Translate.
  💡 Use the Suggested message in Italian only.
  💡 Once you submit your message, you will receive an email asking to confirm that you sent the message.
  💡Click the blue hyperlink in the email you receive to confirm your message.
  “Al fine, quindi, di garantire la correttezza dei dati trattati, La invitiamo a cliccare qui per confermare il messaggio già inviato oppure, in caso di problemi, a copiare e incollare il seguente collegamento nel suo browser:”

  

• 📬 Send letters. (Use the below-suggested message)

  President Sergio Mattarella
  Palazzo del Quirinale, 00187 Roma – Piazza del Quirinale
  Italy

  📬 Send a copy of your letter to South Korean President:

  Office of the President
  04383 22 Itaewon-ro, Yongsan-gu,
  Seoul, South Korea

  📬 South Korean President’s addresses in Korean:

  대한민국 대통령실
  04383 서울특별시 용산구 이태원로 22
  South Korea

📝 Suggested message

The President of Italy, Honorable Sergio Mattarella: Please tell your Partnership Country, South Korea, that you oppose the torture and consumption of dogs and cats.

Dear President Honorable Sergio Mattarella, the President of the Council of Ministers, Honorable Giorgia Meloni, and the members of the Italian government:

As representatives of Italy, we ask you to reconsider your “partnership” with South Korea, a country that permits dogs and cats to be horribly abused and brutally killed for food.

While graphic, these videos depicting South Korea’s dog meat industry are important to watch:
Part 1 of 2: https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ
Part 2 of 2: https://vimeo.com/754160791
Forest fire in Uljin burns dogs imprisoned in dog meat farms: https://youtu.be/mh1lEGt2gjU
https://youtu.be/GLLeI_XFNPg
Dogs who suffered their entire lives are electric tortured and killed in cages—South Korea’s horrific dog meat industry. https://koreandogs.org/jtbc-news-electric-tortured-in-cages/
500 Dogs in typical hellish illegal dog farms in South Korea. https://koreandogs.org/ark119-raids-ganghwa-dog-farm/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcMPdOnJ0Vo (Dog farm scene begins at 11:00 minutes)

South Korea consumes millions of dogs each year. There are countless dog farms and dog slaughterhouses in South Korea. Korean web searches turn up thousands of dog meat restaurants and so-called “Health Centers” that commonly serve soup made of dog meat as phony elixirs (also known as dog soju).

Dogs suffer their entire lives in filthy, feces-encrusted raised wire cages in dire misery only to be slaughtered in the most horrific of ways— tortured by electrocution, hammer strikes to their head, hanging, 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, dogs are killed in full view of other caged dogs who tremble with terror. These poor dogs are often burned alive in their cages, unable to escape. They are fed rotten, maggot-infested garbage full of chili peppers unfit for any animals to eat, and they are not given water. In addition, beloved pets are often stolen and sold to these slaughterhouses, where they meet the same horrific fate. Puppies who die of disease are tossed away like trash, often left in front of cages to rot while their mothers watch and cry out in despair.

In the United States, Mayor Christopher Chung of Palisades Park, New Jersey, has already shown his rejection of the dog meat trade in no uncertain terms. As reported in the Korea Times, he recently rejected a visit from exchange students from the friendship city, Incheon Ganghwa County, due to its dog meat trade. In California, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting legislation or administrative action that would request the governments of South Korea, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Cambodia ban the sale of dog meat and enforce their animal protection laws.

On behalf of companion animal-loving people worldwide, we ask that you follow these bold leads by not remaining silent in the face of such abhorrent cruelty. Please urge South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to shut down all dog farms, slaughterhouses, markets, dog meat restaurants, and truckers transporting dogs to their inevitable fates. An online petition calling for your support in ending such horrors perpetrated in South Korea is in progress: https://chng.it/kPrRN2tJyP.

Thank you for your serious consideration. We eagerly await your reply.

Sincerely,

[Your name, city, country]

📝 Suggested message in Italian

Signor Presidente della Repubblica Sergio Mattarella: prego dica alla Corea del Sud, nazione partner, che Lei si oppone alla tortura e al consumo di cani e gatti.

Signor Presidente della Repubblica Sergio Mattarella, Signor Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri Giorgia Meloni, e i membri del governo italiano:

Nella Vostra qualità di rappresentanti dell’Italia, Vi chiediamo di riconsiderare la partnership con la Corea del Sud, una nazione che permette a cani e gatti di essere maltrattati e barbaramente uccisi per diventare cibo.

Sebbene cruenti, questi video riguardo il business della carne di cane e di gatto sono importanti da vedere:
Parte 1 of 2: https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ
Parte 2 of 2: https://vimeo.com/754160791
Un incendio nella foresta arde vivi i cani imprigionati negli allevamenti di Uljin: https://youtu.be/mh1lEGt2gjU
https://youtu.be/GLLeI_XFNPg
Cani che hanno sofferto per tutta la loro vita, vengono torturati con l’elettricità e uccisi nelle gabbie. https://koreandogs.org/jtbc-news-electric-tortured-in-cages/
500 cani nei tipici allevamenti infernali della Corea del Sud. https://koreandogs.org/ark119-raids-ganghwa-dog-farm/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcMPdOnJ0Vo (la scena inizia a 11:00 minuti)

La Corea del Sud mangia milioni di cani ogni anno. Ci sono numerosi allevamenti e macelli in Corea del Sud. Le ricerche in internet mostrano migliaia di ristoranti in cui si serve carne di cane, e molti “Health Centers”, che di solito servono zuppa fatta con la carne di cane spacciandola per elisir (chiamato soju di cane).

I cani soffrono per tutta la loro vita, in sporche gabbie di rete metallica sollevate dal suolo, incrostate di feci, in condizioni pietose, solo per poi essere macellati nelle maniere più atroci – torturati con l’elettricità, presi a martellate in testa, impiccati, picchiati a morte, sgozzatati vivi, bruciati vivi con la fiamma ossidrica o buttati in cisterne con acqua bollente e cotti vivi. In molti posti, i cani vengono uccisi davanti agli altri cani ancora in gabbia, che tremano dalla paura. Questi cani, spesso, vengono bruciati vivi nelle loro gabbie, impossibilitati alla fuga. Viene data loro da mangiare spazzatura marcia, infestata da larve e piena di peperoncino, non commestibile per nessun animale. In più, amati animali da compagnia vengono spesso rubati e venduti ai macelli, dove incontreranno lo stesso terribile destino. I cuccioli che muoiono per malattia sono buttati via come spazzatura, spesso lasciati di fronte alle gabbie dentro le quali le madri guardano e gridano disperate.

Negli Stati Uniti d’America, il Sindaco Christopher Chung di Palisades Park, New Jersey, ha già mostrato il suo rifiuto inequivocabile per il commercio di carne di cane e di gatto. Come riportato dal Korea Times, ha di recente rifiutato una visita di studenti in scambio dalla città gemellata Incheon Ganghwa County, a causa del commercio di carne di cane e gatto. In California, il City Council di Los Angeles ha deciso all’unanimità di supportare azioni legislative o amministrative che richiedano ai governi di Corea del Sud, Cina, Vietnam, Indonesia, e Cambogia di vietare la vendita di carne di cane e gatto e rinforzare le leggi riguardanti la protezione degli animali.

A nome di tutte le persone che nel mondo amano gli animali, Vi chiediamo di seguire queste coraggiose proposte, non rimanendo in silenzio davanti a tali ripugnanti crudeltà. Per favore, sollecitate il Presidente della Corea del Sud Yoon Suk-yeol a chiudere tutti gli allevamenti e macelli di cani e gatti, i mercati, i ristoranti, e ad impedire il trasporto dei cani e gatti verso il loro ineluttabile destino. È attiva una petizione online che chiede a voi di supportare la fine di questi orrori perpetrati in Corea del Sud: https://chng.it/kPrRN2tJyP.

Vi ringraziamo per l’attenzione che vorrete dedicare al problema e attendiamo una vostra gradita risposta.

Distinti saluti,

[Your name, city, country]

• ☎️ Call the office of President Sergio Mattarella.

  + Tel. 06.46991; Fax 06.46993125

☎️ Suggested phone message

Hello, I’m calling to speak to someone in the President’s Office to ask for their help on an important issue regarding your Partnership Country, South Korea.

If I could explain: Dog-meat consumption is currently being practiced in that country, 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, so I am calling on their behalf. And, I believe that your nation would wish to be made aware of this issue, as you would not want to affiliate with a nation 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 South Korean authorities – even though there is growing opposition from pet guardians across South Korea and worldwide.

So, I am asking you to please speak with your counterparts in South Korea 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 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!
  .@Palazzo_Chigi .@President_KR #Italy Tell Partnership Country #SouthKorea, you oppose the torture and consumption of #dogs and #cats 🐾 https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ 😢https://vimeo.com/754160791 😭 https://chng.it/kPrRN2tJyP https://koreandogs.org/partnership-korea-Italy

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