George Bush meeting w/Korean President

[Guest guest]

FORWARDED MESSAGE.

 

 

Animal Cruelty in Korea

 

Every year, 2.6 million dogs and countless cats are slaughtered and consumed

in South Korea. Methods of slaughter include hanging by the neck, prolonged

beatings with pipes and hammers, and electrocution. Often, cats are boiled

alive, and dogs are routinely blowtorched to remove their fur and to brown

their skin.

 

The myth is that the more pain suffered by these animals, the more tender

and aphrodisiac the meat is. This idea is generated by Korean dog-meat

(boshintang) dealers. Dog-meat stew is not a thousand-year-old Korean

tradition, as dog-meat dealers claim. The commercial trade of dogs for

consumption began in 1980, when a boom in the Korean economy made the

once-scarce " livestock " meats suddenly affordable. At the time, the

dog-meat trade consisted of only a handful of dealers, who, fearing loss of

business, quickly marketed the myth that dog-meat stew is a traditional

" cure-all " health food.

 

Cats are also consumed in S. Korea. Pets and strays are repeatedly

bludgeoned with hammers or placed in sacks, which are then pounded on the

ground. Often, while still alive, the cats are thrown into large pots of

boiling water and cooked with ginger, dates and chestnuts until liquefied to

a brown paste called goyangi soju, or " cat juice, " which dealers claim will

cure rheumatism. Dr. Kim, Sung Yun, a medical doctor and professor

researching rheumatoid arthritis at Hanyang Medical School, said in a

Chosunilbo newspaper article that " cats are absolutely not effective in the

treatment of arthritis. It's a myth. " However, even research such as this

has done little to dispel the myth.

 

Approximately 30 percent of the dogs consumed each year are stolen companion

animals, while the rest are bred by dog " farmers, " individuals who raise

dogs as a side business. Most of the cats consumed each year are trapped in

crude wire cages.

 

The Korean Government has failed to enforce its own 1984 Ministry of Health

law banning dog-meat stew as a " disgusting food, " and its Animal Protection

Law, enacted in 1991, which bans cruelty to all animals. Designating South

Korea as a host of World Cup 2002 sends a clear message that the world

accepts illegal industries and animal cruelty. Shocking new undercover

video documentation of widespread dog and cat torture in flagrant violation

of the laws has incited U.S. humane advocacy organizations to demand an end

to the slaughter and consumption of companion animals in S. Korea.

 

" This is not an issue of 'cultural differences,' " states Kyenan Kum, founder

and director of International Aid for Korean Animals (IAKA). " Caring

Koreans and most people worldwide know that no animal should be tortured and

abused. Yet Korean cat and dog dealers are willfully inflicting maximum

pain to dogs and cats for mythical health benefits.

 

" The Korean government recognized the terrible suffering caused by the dog

meat trade when it outlawed dog-meat stew in 1984. Today we need the help of

caring people worldwide to stamp out this abuse once and for all. "

 

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George Bush's Email Address: President

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Sample Email:

 

Dear President Bush,

 

I understand you will be meeting with Korean President Kim Dae Jung on March

8, 2001 at the White House. I would like to bring your attention to a very

urgent issue presently taking place in Korea. Millions of dogs in Korea are

hung, tortured for 12 hours and blowtorched alive (to lightly brown the skin

and remove fur) before they are finally killed for dog meat. This is

illegal in Korea yet the Korean government is doing absolutely nothing to

stop it or to enforce their already established anti-cruelty laws. These

anti-cruelty laws were formed in 1991, after an international outcry finally

pressured the Korean government into implementing humane animal protection

laws because of the negative exposure the country was receiving when they

hosted the Seoul Olympics in 1988. However, after the Olympics came and

gone and the spotlight was no longer on Korea, the country reverted back to

their heinous practice completely ignoring and enforcing their own laws and

the international community. Even the Ministry of Agriculture has a law

whereby dogs and cats are clearly stated as not a part of livestock and

therefore, not legal to eat yet this, too, is ignored. In fact, the number

of dog meat restaurants has mushroomed to over 6 000 in the last ten years

alone!

 

The black market dog meat butchers promote the untruth that the more a dog

is tortured, the more adrenaline is produced, which, in turn, they falsely

claim increases a man's sexual desire. Cats too, suffer a similar fate as

they are thrown alive into boiling water to make a tonic that they again

falsely promote to be a cure for arthritis. Korean doctors, who specialize

in arthritis and arthritic remedies are on record stating that cat 'tonic'

is a complete myth and contains no curative properties, whatsoever.

 

President Bush, I know you are a very busy man and you run on a very tight

schedule. However, I respectfully urge you to take a few moments, if at all

possible, to discuss this horrific practice in Korea with the Korean

President. Please urge him to close down ALL dog and cat meat restaurants

in Korea. Please also strongly encourage him to fully enforce Korea's

animal anti-cruelty laws.

 

Thank you for your time and consideration on this very serious issue.

 

Sincerely,

 

Type in your name, state, address and email address. If you are not from

the US, please type in your full address including your country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Much Cruelty Can You Stomach.

http://www.MurderKing.com

 

Help Save A Stray

http://www.saveastray.com

 

 

 

 

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