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We have received the response below from the Daejeon Daedeok-gu’s Economy Welfare Division, Energy Economy Department regarding our campaign/petition:Daejeon Daedeok-gu, South Korea, Shut down the illegal dog meat farms, slaughterhouses, markets and restaurants.

They stated, “The Daedeok-gu government is currently enforcing the regulations and procedures set forth in the related laws which you had mentioned in your petition, and will promptly take measures in accordance with the related laws in case of violation….. In addition, we will do our best to take the lead in animal protection through establishing necessary rules such as protection of animals and prevention of abuse for the creation of a social atmosphere that promotes a happy coexistence of humans and companion animals”.

However, 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 181 Health Food Shops and 34 dog meat restaurants in and within the vicinity of Daejeon Daedeok-gu.

Facts speak for themselves. There is a large dog meat industry in Daejeon Daedeok-gu and their claim that they are the enforcing the laws appear not to be true.

Even though the Daejeon Daedeok-gu government would be aware of dog meat businesses operating in the district, it could claim there are no dog farms because there are no government records, regulations or oversight for dog farms in Korea. But local dog meat businesses would obtain dog meat from large factory farms or homes that breed few dogs to make money. In reality, various levels of governments in Korea turn a blind eye to the dog meat industry and no one is protecting dogs from cruel treatment and slaughter.

Our campaign is effective because now they are aware that the eyes of the world are watching their district’s dog meat industry and would bring this issue to the attention of their governments for action. Let’s keep up the pressure by taking action!

Before you buy a product from Samsung, Hyundai, Kia, or LG, or visit Korea and spend your hard-earned money there, please remember how the Korean government is supporting criminals in the cruel dog meat industry by turning a blind eye to the unimaginable suffering of millions of sentient animals.

Response from Daejeon Daedeok-gu:

Let’s keep taking actions until Daejeon Daedeok-gu bans the dog and cat meat industry.