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Thessaloniki, Greece: Tell your Sister City, Busan, 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.

Busan became a Sister City to Thessaloniki, Greece, in 2010.

In Busan, 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.

Video: Watchdog is at Busan Gangseo-gu Daejeo massive scale illegal dog farm to shut it down. 9/17/2021

A Search Engine reveals the sickening scale of Busan’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 hundreds of Health Centers and dog meat restaurants in Busan.

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 Busan 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 mayor and the municipal communities of Thessaloniki.

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

  Send the CC (Carbon Copy) email to the Busan Metropolitan Council, Gyeongsangnam-do Provincial Council and the South Korean National 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];
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• 📬 Send letters (Use the below-suggested message or petition):

  📬 Mayors office
  1 Vas.Georgiou Ave.
  Thessaloniki, 546 40. GR
  Greece

  📬 Send a copy of your letter to Busan:
  Mayor Park Heong-Joon
  Busan City Hall
  1001, Jungang-daero, Yeonje-gu, Busan, Postal code 47545
  South Korea

  Busan Metropolitan Council
  1001, Jungang-daero, Yeonje-gu, Busan, Postal code 47545
  South Korea

  📬 Address in Korean:
  박형준 부산시장
  부산시청
  (우 47545) 부산광역시 연제구 중앙대로 1001
  South Korea

  부산광역시의회
  (우 47545) 부산광역시 연제구 중앙대로 1001
  South Korea

Suggested message

Subject: Thessaloniki: Tell your Sister City, Busan, South Korea, that you are opposed to the torture and consumption of dogs and cats.

Dear Mayor Konstantinos Zervas and the municipal councilors of Thessaloniki:

We ask you to please watch the videos from South Korea’s dog meat industry:
Shocking cruelty of South Korea’s 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 Thessaloniki should be a Sister City to any city that allows dogs and cats to be tortured and eaten by people?

Busan is one of the largest dog meat consumption cities in South Korea. There are countless dog farms, dog slaughterhouses, dog meat restaurants, and so-called “Health Centers” serving 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 Busan, 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 hundreds of Health Centers which commonly sell dog/cat elixirs (also known as dog soju and cat soju) and dog meat restaurants in Busan.

Would you please urge Busan Mayor Park Heong-Joon 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 Busan is in progress: https://chng.it/QMwt4xVH.

On behalf of all the animals suffering unimaginable cruelty in the dog and cat meat industry, we thank you and await your reply.

Sincerely,

Name, City, Country

Suggested message in Greek

Θεσσαλονίκη: Πείτε στην αδελφοποιημένη πόλη Μπουσάν, στη Νότια Κορέα, ότι είστε ενάντιοι στη βρώση και κακοποίηση σκυλιών και γατιών

Αξιότιμε Δήμαρχε Κωνσταντίνε Ζέρβα και δημοτικοί σύμβουλοι Θεσσαλονίκης:

Σας παρακαλούμε να δείτε αυτά τα βίντεο από την κρεατοβιομηχανία κρέατος σκύλων στη Νότια Κορέα:
Η σοκαριστική αγριότητα της Νοτιοκορεατικής κρεατοβιομηχανίας κρέατος σκύλων, Μέρος 1 από 2: https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ
Μέρος 2 από 2: https://vimeo.com/754160791
Συναγερμός Άμεσης Δράσης! Πυρκαγιά σε δάσος της Ουλτσίν είχε ως αποτέλεσμα να καούν τα σκυλιά που ήταν εγκλωβισμένα στις φάρμες των: https://koreandogs.org/uljin-fire/

Συμφωνείτε ότι η Θεσσαλονίκη είναι Αδελφοποιημένη Πόλη με μία πόλη που επιτρέπει στα σκυλιά και τα γατιά να βασανίζονται και να τρώγονται από ανθρώπους;

Η Μπουσάν είναι μία από τις μεγαλύτερες πόλεις σε κατανάλωση σκύλων στη Νότια Κορέα. Υπάρχουν αμέτρητες φάρμες σκύλων, σφαγεία, εστιατόρια κρέατος σκύλων, και τα αναφερόμενα ως «Κέντρα Υγείας» στα οποία σερβίρουν σούπες φτιαγμένες με κρέας σκύλων για ελιξίρια. Τα σκυλιά υποφέρουν όλη τη ζωή τους, ζώντας σε βρώμικα, γεμάτα περιττώματα συρμάτινα κλουβιά την απόλυτη δυστυχία, μόνο για να σφαχτούν με τους πιο οδυνηρούς τρόπους. Τα σκοτώνουν με ηλεκτροπληξίες, τα χτυπάνε με σφυριά στο κεφάλι και στον λαιμό, τα απαγχονίζουν, τα δέρνουν μέχρι θανάτου, τους κόβουν το λαιμό, τα καίνε με φλόγιστρα, ή τα βράζουν ζωντανά σε καζάνια. Σε πολλές περιοχές της Μπουσάν, τα σκυλιά σκοτώνονται μπροστά σε άλλα τρομαγμένα και φυλακισμένα σκυλιά, που τα βλέπουν έντρομα και τρέμουν από το φόβο τους. Τα καημένα τα σκυλιά συχνά καίγονται ζωντανά μέσα στα κλουβιά τους, χωρίς να μπορούν να ξεφύγουν. Τα ταΐζουν με χαλασμένα σκουπίδια γεμάτα με τρόφιμα ακατάλληλα για τη σίτιση ζώων, όπως με καυτερές πιπεριές, και δεν τους δίνουν καν νερό!.

Επίσης, άνθρωποι που αγαπούσαν τα κατοικίδιά τους τα έχασαν ή κλάπηκαν και μετά πωλήθηκαν σε τέτοιες επιχειρήσεις, όπου κατέληξαν να έχουν την ίδια φρικτή μοίρα. Μεγάλα σκυλιά και κουτάβια που πέθαναν από αρρώστιες τα πετάνε στα σκουπίδια, ή τα αφήνουν μπροστά στα άλλα κλουβιά να σαπίσουν ενώ οι σκυλίτσες-μαμάδες βλέπουν τα πεθαμένα μωρά τους και κλαίνε με απόγνωση.

Με διαδικτυακές μηχανές αναζήτησης βρίσκονται Κέντρα Υγείας στην Κορέα στα οποία πωλούνται ανοιχτά ελιξίρια από σκύλους/γάτες (λέγονται και σότζου σκύλου / σότζου γάτας) καθώς και εστιατόρια για κρέας σκύλων στη Μπουσάν.

Μπορείτε, σας παρακαλούμε, να παροτρύνετε τον Δήμαρχο της Μπουσάν Παρκ Χιουνγκ-τζουν να κλείσει όλα τα παράνομα σφαγεία σκύλων, τις φάρμες, τις κρεαταγορές, τους μεταφορείς και τα εστιατόριά τους; Κάνουμε μία προσπάθεια να συγκεντρώσουμε υπογραφές μέσω διαδικτύου και ζητάμε να σταματήσει η φρικτή αγριότητα που συνεχίζεται στις κρεατοβιομηχανίες με σκυλιά και γατιά στη Μπουσάν: https://chng.it/QMwt4xVH.

Εκ μέρους όλων των ζώων που υποφέρουν από την αφάνταστη αγριότητα της κρεατοβιομηχανίας, σας ευχαριστούμε και προσδοκούμε την ευνοϊκή απάντησή σας.

Με εκτίμηση,

Name, City, Country

• ☎️ Call the Thessaloniki Mayor’s office:
  
  +011-30 2313 317 906 – 917
  +011-30 2310 272 554
  Fax: +011-30 2310 272 449
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 Sister City, Busan, 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, so 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 Busan 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 Busan 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!
  .@BusanCityGovt .@BusanCouncil .@gyeongnamdo .@opensky86 .@pjun8680 #Thessaloniki, Tell Sister City #Busan #SouthKorea that you are opposed to torture/eating #dogs #cats🐾https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ😢https://vimeo.com/754160791 😭https://chng.it/QMwt4xVH✍ https://koreandogs.org/Sister-city-Busan-Thessaloniki/

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