Blog

[Update: August 2, 2017] Mayor ‘condemns cruelty’ but won’t raise concern to Paju.

According to The Chronicle’s article “Mayor ‘condemns cruelty’ but South Korea trip going ahead”, Mayor Antonio stated that he “absolutely condemns cruelty against all animals” but he also stated that, “The governance of meat production practices in South Korea is a matter for their government, just as meat production practices here in Australia are overseen by our governments.”

We are disappointed that the mayor feels that way and it seems that he is not willing to raise this issue to his counterparts. We will close this campaign and but will keep the petition open and continue to collect signatures.

Click HERE to read the article.

Mayor Paul Antonio of Toowoomba, Queensland: Tell Sister City, Paju, South Korea, That We’re Opposed to the Torture and Consumption of Dogs and Cats.

Paju Mayor Jae-Hong Lee

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.

Paju became Sister city with Toowoomba in 2002.

In Paju, 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 public and 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 Paju’s dog meat demand.

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 137 Health Food Shops and 141 restaurants in the vicinity of Paju.

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 the vicinity of Paju to supply these outlets.

There are laws in South Korea against selling dogs and cats for consumption, yet these laws are blatantly ignored.

https://koreandogs.org/meat-dogs-in-wire-cages-feed-on-rotten-food-waste-slops/

Call for Action

• Send Email:
  [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; Megan.O’[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
• Send letter (Use the below-suggested message or petition):Toowoomba Regional Council
  PO Box 3021
  Toowoomba QLD 4350
  Australia

  Send a copy of your letter to Paju Mayor Jae-Hong Lee:
  Mayor Jae-Hong Lee
  Paju City Hall
  50 Sicheong-ro, Paju, Gyeonggi-do Province, Postal Code 10932
  South Korea

  Address in Korean:
  이재홍 파주시장님
  파주시청
  (우 10932) 경기도 파주시 시청로 50
  South Korea

• Send a message through Facebook page:
  Toowoomba
  Mayor Paul Antonio
  Paju

  Suggested email/letter/Facebook message

  Dear Mayor Antonio and the City Council members,

  We ask you to please watch the videos of South Korea’s dog meat industry: https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ
  https://koreandogs.org/horrible-reality-of-meat-dog-farms-you-did-not-know/
  https://koreandogs.org/dmp/
  https://koreandogs.org/companion-animals-for-consumption/.

  Do you think that Toowoomba should be a Sister city to any city that allows dogs and cats to be tortured and eaten? Please urge Paju Mayor Jae-Hong Lee to close down all those illegal dog farms and slaughterhouses, markets, truckers, and restaurants that serve these animal products. An online petition calling for your support in ending the horrendous South Korean dog and cat meat cruelty is in progress: https://www.change.org/p/mayor-paul-antonio-of-toowoomba-tell-sister-city-paju-south-korea-that-we-re-opposed-to-the-torture-consumption-of-dogs
  The favor of your reply is requested.
  Thank you,

  [Your Name & City/Country]

• Call the Mayor’s Office:
  If calling within Australia call 131 872
  If calling from overseas call +61 7 4688 6611
  Fax: 1800 448 882

  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, Paju 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 be affiliated 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.

  These illegal trades are being allowed to continue by Korean authorities – even though there is growing opposition from pet owners across South Korea, and throughout the world.

  So, I am asking you to please speak with your counterparts in Paju to urge them to enforce their own laws, not ignore them, and to show compassion to their companion animals, and also respect to their own citizens, by bringing these trades to an end.

  With the Winter Olympics coming up in 2018, this is the time to make change; this is the time to stop the illegal, inhumane and unnecessary cruelty. 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!

  Suggested Twitter text

  .@pajusi .@pjleejaehong .@toowoombaregion .@TRCMayor Plz Urge Sister City Paju,Korea-Stop torture/eating dogs & cats https://goo.gl/u9Ae1p

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