A few years ago, CARE activists went to Seocheon, Chungnam in the middle of the night and got rid of all the preparations for a Pankyo Dog Meat Festival. Ever since, dog meat festivals have been canceled due to public pressure and controversy.
Recently, the Korean Dog Meat Association tried again. They had scheduled a large Dog Meat Festival in Moran Market, Seongnam City for July 1, 2011. Reportedly, the festival was to include the slaughter of hundreds of dogs as part of a ”celebration.” The festival also planned to “showcase canine food products, including barbecued dog, sausages and steamed paws.”
This was fuel for South Korean animal rights activists. CARE protested, filed official complaints, and redirected hundreds of phone calls, which eventually led to the cancellation of the festival. “This [festival] is making our country an international laughing stock, and making the whole world mistakenly believe that all South Koreans eat dogs,” said Park So-Youn, Director of CARE.
“We couldn’t possibly go on with the plan due to endless phone calls of complaint…now there are few willing to rent us a place for the event,” said Ann Yong-Geun, an adviser to Korea Dog Farmers’ Association and a professor of nutrition at Chung Cheong University, told AFP.
The cancellation proves that the public is still not willing to embrace eating dogs as something to celebrate. The more this issue comes under public eye, the more people tend to agree with the anti-dog meat movement. Eventually, humanity will come to understand that dogs are meant to be loved, respected, and protected, rather than brutally slaughtered and eaten.
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