“Hissing Cats” Urge Korean Expo Attendees to Dog Korean Government
Claws Out Over Proposed Policy to Legalize Cat and Dog Meat

San Francisco, CA - Members of In Defense of Animals (IDA) costumed as cats will greet attendees to the Korean Trade Expo to expose a backdoor scheme by the Korean Government to hygienically control–and effectively legalize–the dog meat trade.

When: Friday, May 6th from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. 
Where: The Radisson Miyako Hotel, 1625 Post Street (at Laguna)

South Korea’s laws prohibiting the consumption of dogs and cats have been routinely ignored and disregarded by law enforcement. Korea’s Ministry for the Office of Government Policy Coordination announced in March that it was to begin inspecting dog meat for sanitation, thus giving dog meat its seal of approval despite global opposition.

For years activists have been calling on the Korean Government to curb animal abuse. Animal advocates in Korea and around the world have been protesting the Korean Government’s refusal to enforce its own laws. In 1984, the Ministry of Health introduced a law which stated that, “The cooking and sale of dog meat is forbidden as it is designated as a ‘Disgusting food under the law of Food Sanitation Enforcement Regulations.’” In 1991, the Animal Protection Law was introduced and stated, “no one shall kill animals in a way which is cruel or which provokes disgust without proper, rational reason.” 

Before dogs are killed for meat, they are often strung up by their legs and beaten. Dog butchers extol the virtues of their product, linking the adrenaline rush dogs experience as they are bludgeoned to death to enhanced male virility. Cats fare no better—viewed as pest animals, they are boiled alive so their “juices” can be extracted for supposed health tonics which butchers claim can be used to treat rheumatism. 

“It’s inconceivable that as the rest of the modern world is strengthening animal protection laws, the Korean Government is allowing ‘man’s best friends’ to be boiled alive, beaten, butchered, and eaten under its knowing watch,” says IDA president and founder Elliot M. Katz, DVM. “If the Government genuinely wants to eradicate the potentially harmful effects of dog meat to public health, it should enforce its laws banning dog meat; not legalize it.”

For more information on IDA and its Korean Animals Campaign, please visit www.IDAUSA.org. For more information on Animal Freedom Korea, please visit www.animalkorea.org.