532 Animal Protection Activists from Gwangju and Jeonnam Declare Support for Lee Jae-myung

"Realizing Animal Welfare... Must Shed the Stigma of Being a Backward Country in Animal Welfare"

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] A total of 532 animal organizations and activists from Gwangju and Jeonnam have expressed their support for Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party of Korea's presidential primary candidate.

Composed of activists involved in stray animal rescue, private animal shelter workers, and opponents of dog meat consumption, they held a support declaration ceremony on the 16th at the Lee Jae-myung Support Forum ‘Hope22’.

As the representative of the organizations, Jo Kyung, CEO of the non-profit organization Gachi Bodeum, read the support declaration statement.

They stated, “Candidate Lee Jae-myung has directly addressed the issue of dog and cat meat consumption, which previous administrations have avoided for decades, and has shown a strong will to eradicate it. We are confident that he is a politician who will eliminate dog meat consumption, as he abolished the Moran dog meat market, the largest dog meat market in the nation, during his tenure as mayor of Seongnam.”

Attending the event, National Assembly member Ahn Min-seok said, “Seeing animal-related social issues, I believe it is now time to implement animal policies that meet the demands of the era and the sentiments of the people.”

He added, “Dogs and cats have long been established as companion animals. We will actively strive to create animal welfare policies based on the era of coexistence between humans and animals to realize integrated welfare for both animals and people.”

Gwangju Metropolitan Council member Hwang Hyun-taek said, “The reality of the Gwangju Metropolitan Animal Shelter, which I visited during my legislative activities, was very distressing. I hope that the citizens of Gwangju will develop a sense of bioethics and an animal welfare culture so that Gwangju, a city that respects life, becomes a model for local governments nationwide.”

Gwangju Metropolitan Council member Lim Mi-ran also explained, “When I planned the companion animal swimming competition in 2019, I experienced much opposition around me and had a hard time holding the animal-related event. I feel regretful that social awareness regarding companion animals and animal welfare has not yet advanced.”

She then expressed her active intention to participate in Gwangju’s animal policies, saying, “I will work harder to create a society that respects life, where the consumption of dog and cat meat, which most citizens agree on, is eradicated and where there are no stray animals.”

Director Lim Yong-gwan of the non-profit organization With said, “We have come to trust and support candidate Lee Jae-myung, who will take the lead in eradicating dog meat consumption and animal welfare policies, issues that have not received attention from the political sphere until now.”

Kim Jin-woo, the executive director of Hope22, which organized the event, said, “We expect candidate Lee Jae-myung’s integrated welfare policy for animals and people to play a key role in advancing animal welfare in our country by decades. We hope Korea will become a nation free from the stigma of being a backward country in animal welfare.”

Representative Jo Kyung said, “As can be seen from the history of several advanced animal welfare countries overseas, ‘animal welfare’ can never be fully achieved by the private sector alone. It is now time for our government and National Assembly to recognize this. We earnestly request that the next government establish dedicated ‘animal departments’ at the ‘division’ level in each local government and thoroughly implement presidential pledges such as eradicating dog meat consumption, restricting animal sales, eliminating animal abandonment, and shutting down unlicensed dog farms, which have already reached social consensus.”

Meanwhile, the support declaration ceremony was graced by the presence of Democratic Party member Ahn Min-seok, Gwangju Metropolitan Council members Hwang Hyun-taek and Lim Mi-ran, Choi Hyuk, head of the Companion Animal Health Department at Gwangju Women’s University, Professor Jung Joo-heung of the Police and Security Department at Dongshin University, Jo Kyung, CEO of the non-profit organization Gachi Bodeum, Lim Yong-gwan, CEO of the Gwangju Animal Protection Association With, Jung Wook, CEO of The Pet House Cooperative, Kim Yeo-ae, director of Jangseong Shelter, Yoon Seo-hee, director of Damyang Dongsan Shelter, and Lee Se-ra, director of Dreaming Animals Center, among others.