| "South Korea to toughen law to protect
animals from abuse" |
The Korean government is
seeking to pass a law that would strengthen the
current animal protection act, in order to prevent
inhumane treatment of animals, officials said
yesterday.
"It may be nonsense that foreigners
criticize Koreans eating habits in light of
cultural relativism," said an official, citing
overseas criticism of the custom of eating dog
meat in Korea. "But slaughtering dogs in an
inhumane way is a matter of serious concern."
As part of the post-World cup measures to
enhance Korea's international image, the
government is taking steps to curb animal abuse,
the official said.
The new law
envisaged by the government would specifically
prevent slaughtering dogs by beating and killing
them in open areas, as well as displaying
dog meat in restaurants. It will also include
a ban on slaughtering cows after forcing them to
drink an excessive amount of water.
Traditionally dogs were hung or beaten
with bats to soften the flesh before slaughter.
Some people used to force cows to drink water to
increase their weight and in turn earn more money,
a practice that has almost disappeared now. The
new act is designed to eradicate such practices,
the officials said.
The act would also
prohibit using electrocution or chemicals in
fishing for financial gains. Applying electric
currents to shallow fresh water and spraying
lethal chemicals on streams to catch fish are not
unheard-of practices.
Since no South
Korean law bans the sale of dog meat, the
government can crack down on dog eating by
applying a law against consumption of foods they
term "repulsive," including snakes.
Animal
rights advocates have been pushing for changes to
the animal protection law, established in 1991,
under which there have been only several
convictions.
The animal protection law
prohibits killing animals in ways that are
"cruel," "provoke disgust," or "inflict
unnecessary pain or injury." It also bans the
slaughtering of animals "without a proper,
rational reason."
Meanwhile, the
Association of Dog Meat Restaurant Owners have
been urging the government to legalize dog meat
sales, which they say will ensure hygiene
standards.
They sought to promote dog meat
during the World Cup finals by setting up tasting
booths at various soccer stadiums in Korea. They
even considered introducing dog meat sandwiches or
burgers, designed to appeal to the tastes of
non-Koreans.
Some lawmakers took steps to
revise a livestock law to include dogs in the
category of livestock animals, which fueled
extensive criticism from abroad only months before
the World Cup.
(Don't be fooled by
the title of this article. The proposed
legislation has nothing to do with preventing
animal cruelty, but is simply an attempt to
overturn the 1984 Ministry of Health Law banning
dog meat as a "disgusting food," not fit for human
consumption. This is Kim Hong-Shin's 2001 bill in
another guise (click here
to read the 27/12/01 Ananova report).
Look
at the sentence in italics above. Under the
proposed law, the torture and slaughter would be
legal if performed in slaughter-houses or even
private back-yards of homes and restaurants. Only
public torture and killing in the markets would be
affected! And what are the chances of even this
being enforced, when the sale of dog meat has been
illegal since 1984 with only a handful of
prosecutions?
Please send protest emails to
the following;
President Kim,Dae-Jung, Prime
Minister Lee,Han-Dong, and Senior Ministers and
Assemblymen. Click here
to send email.
Sample email
"Dear
Sir/Madam
I was both shocked and dismayed
to hear of the latest proposed attempt to legalise
the torture and slaughter of dogs for meat under
the guise of an animal welfare law, as reported in
the Korea Herald 01/07/02.
I cannot believe
that such a Law would decrease the torture and
suffering of these animals, but would merely lend
a facade of respectability to this
trade.
The passing of this legislation
would certainly not improve your Country's
standing in the eyes of the world. I would
therefore urge you to oppose this Bill, and to
instead support measures to enforce your existing
Laws to end the consumption of dog and cat meat
permanently. Other Asian countries with a
tradition of dog eating have done this, and as you
must be aware, this "tradition" only began in
Korea during the famine resulting from the war
during the 1950s. Until such time as this action
is taken, I will not buy any goods from Korea, nor
will I visit your Country. I will also do
everything within my power to persuade others to
do the same.
Yours
sincerely
Name/Country"
Let us not
be in any doubt - if this obscene law is passed,
human consumption of dog meat will become firmly
established as an everyday part of Korean life and
it will be the first time in history anywhere that
dogs have been legally classified as livestock. -
ITD)
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| Korea Herald - 01/07/2002
|
By Byun Tae-kyung Staff reporter
(tkbyun@koreaherald.co.kr)
|
|
