"Head of Adoption, Habitually Abusing Rescued Animals for 10 Years"… Kara Internal Whistleblowing

Karanojo "At least 40 animals assaulted"
Company "No official complaint... Will conduct a fact-finding investigation"

An animal rights organization, 'Animal Rights Action Kara,' is facing allegations that its director in charge of the protection and adoption of rescued animals has habitually abused animals for about 10 years.

The Kara Union, a general union branch of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), stated in a press release on the 27th, "Director A's verbal and physical abuse of animals has been an open secret known not only to internal staff but also to volunteers for a long time," adding, "Since 2015, at least 40 animals have been abused by A."

The General Union of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Karaji Branch claimed on the 27th that after Mr. A's assault, the rescue dogs hid under the desk out of fear. Photo by Yonhap News, Karaji Branch

They further claimed, "In 2017, A was disciplined for habitual animal abuse, but the punishment was only a minor disciplinary action of removal from the team leader position, and A's violent animal management issues were neglected."

According to the Kara Union, A reportedly hit animals with reasons such as "How can a biting dog be adopted?" and "They must be corrected even if it means hitting them," and coerced team members to participate in the abuse by saying, "Why am I the only one hitting animals? Don't you think I'm the only bad person?"

They also alleged that A shouted at rescued animals just for barking at him, cornered them against walls or under desks, and used brooms, slippers, and sticks made by rolling up newspapers to assault the animals. Some animals showed stress responses, such as barking at the sound of A's footsteps alone, due to habitual abuse.

The Kara Union demanded, "Both A, who habitually abused animals, and Jeon Jin-gyeong, the representative of Kara, who granted A full authority over animal management, must take responsibility for this situation," and urged, "As an animal rights organization, we apologize to our sponsoring members and call for the resignation of those responsible."

Regarding this matter, Representative Jeon Jin-gyeong stated that there had been no official complaints about A but acknowledged the need for a fact-finding investigation. Through Yonhap News Agency, Jeon said, "Correction and ensuring safety are important issues, so I believe a fact-finding investigation should be conducted regarding this allegation. We will also listen thoroughly to A's explanation about what happened."