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Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin: Tell your Sister City, Gongju, 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.

Gonju Mayor Kim Jeong-Seop

Gongju became a Sister City with Berkeley, California in 2019.

In Gongju, there are countless dog farms, slaughterhouses, markets, and restaurants where the dogs, who are 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.

A Search Engine reveals the sickening scale of Gongju’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 Gongju.

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 farms and slaughterhouses must be present in the vicinity of Gongju 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 Berkeley mayor and the City Council members.

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

  Send the CC (Carbon Copy) email to the Gongju Council, Chungcheongnam-Do 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];
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• 📬 Send letters (Use the below-suggested message or petition):

  Mayor Jesse Arreguin
  City of Berkeley
  2180 Milvia Street 5th Floor
  Berkeley, CA 94704
  USA

  Berkeley City Council
  2180 Milvia Street 5th Floor
  Berkeley, CA 94704
  USA

  📬 Send a copy of your letter to Gongju:

  Mayor Kim Jeong-Seop
  City of Gongju
  1 Bongwhang-ro, Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do
  Postal Code 32552
  South Korea

  Gongju City Council
  1 Bongwhang-ro, Gongju, Chungcheongnam-do
  Postal Code 32552
  South Korea

  📬 Gongju’s addresses in Korean:

  김정섭 공주 시장님
  공주시청
  [32552] 충청남도 공주시 봉황로 1
  South Korea

  공주시의회
  [32552] 충청남도 공주시 봉황로 1
  South Korea

Suggested message

Subject: Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin: Tell your Sister City, Gongju, South Korea, that you are opposed to the torture and consumption of dogs and cats.

Dear Mayor Jesse Arreguin and the Berkeley City Council members:

We ask you to please watch the videos from South Korea’s dog meat industry:
Shocking Cruelty of South Korean Dog Meat Industry, Part 1 of 2: https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ
Part 2 of 2: https://vimeo.com/754160791

Do you think Berkeley should be a Sister City to any city that allows dogs and cats to be tortured and eaten by people?

Gongju is one of the largest dog meat suppliers and 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 Gongju, dogs are killed in full view of other terrified, caged dogs who tremble with terror. In addition, 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 raised wire 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 Gongju.

Would you please urge Gongju Mayor Kim Jeong-Seop 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 Gongju is in progress: https://chng.it/nyPyFLmh.

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

Sincerely,

• ☎️ Call the Berkeley Mayor’s office: TEL: (510) 981-7100, TDD: (510) 981-7190, FAX: (510) 981-7199
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, Gongju 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 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 Gongju 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 Gongju 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!
  [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Tell Sister City #Gongju #SouthKorea that you are opposed to torture and killing #dogs #cats🐾https://youtu.be/_ZVQjgGb4RQ😢https://vimeo.com/754160791 😭 https://chng.it/nyPyFLmh https://koreandogs.org/Sister-city-Gongju-Berkeley/

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