South Korea Trade Agreement upsets humanitarians

The following letter was sent by Garo Alexanian, of The Companion Animal Network.  I include the letter as it was sent, and look forward to your comments and to any action you may take to prevent this agreement from passing.  Feel free to use this letter as a template for an email, letter or fax to your local representative.

"Dear Member of the United States Congress:

We are writing on behalf of a coalition of animal welfare organizations to ask the US Congress to halt consideration of passage of the US Trade Agreement between South Korea and the United States for the below stated reasons.

For a quarter century South Korea has ignored worldwide condemnation of an industry based upon the torture of stolen and/or “farmed” dogs and cats and perpetrated under the umbrella of a “cultural food” market. With heightened worldwide awareness and condemnation of torture, as well as a growing concern for the welfare of companion animals, we believe that South Korea ’s continuation of an industry based upon the torture of cats and dogs is unacceptable and inappropriate.

Whereas dog and cat eating is tolerated by a handful of other Asian nations the South Korean “dog meat markets” are especially egregious because:

Unlike other countries where dog and cat eating is practiced, in South Korea the intentional torture of live dogs prior to slaughter is permitted. Breaking the bones of dogs with hammers or very slow hanging over many hours or blood-letting are acceptable manners of slaughter that are used. Dogs and cats are crammed into cages like factory chickens, unable to stand, sit, or turn. Despite being confined for long periods of time, as seen in the photograph below, they are not even provided water in 100 degree heat. This is “animal control” in South Korea . These horrific tortures are committed intentionally, due to the myth fabricated by dog meat dealers that the meat tastes better due to the secretion of adrenaline during duress and the belief that it has medicinal properties, particularly as relates to virility.

South Korea is, moreover, the only nation which has also permitted the practice of the “juicing” of cats, which entails throwing live cats into gigantic blenders, chopping them up alive into juice, under the guise of a remedy for osteoporosis.

Two million dogs a year are killed for food, which is far greater than any other nation with reported statistics.

In addition to the concerns about animal cruelty, eating dogs and cats puts the human population at risk for the spread of cholera and rabies. A cholera epidemic recently occurred in northern Vietnam during the summer of 2009. The outbreak was caused by dog meat, which is the main carrier of “vibrio cholera bacterium.” Dog meat also carries the rabies virus which may take several weeks or years for the symptoms to manifest. Once the virus takes hold the person does not usually survive. It is estimated that over fifty thousand people in Asia die from rabies each year and the numbers are growing yearly. Approximately fifty percent of the dogs that go to market in South Korea have the distemper virus which, while itself not contagious to humans, is in the same family as the human measles virus. At this time, it is not yet known what effect the eating of dogs with the distemper virus has on humans. In an era where Asian nations have been responsible for the spread of numerous diseases to the rest of the world, South Korea ’s reckless disregard for basic health policies is unacceptable.

Serious consideration must also be given to the South Korean history of duplicity and corruption and therefore, the political ramifications of any Free Trade Agreement with South Korea .

1) In 1984, in an arrangement made as a result of political pressure brought to bear by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (“IFAW”), South Korea passed a law abolishing dog meat eating. It was passed into law with the intention of misleading the international community, as the law has never been enforced. Similar to its northern neighbor, South Korea ’s selective adherence to laws and agreements may not bode well for any Free Trade Agreement.

2) Corruption in the South Korean government is rampant; former Prime Minister Roh Moo-Hyun (2003-2008) committed suicide on May 23, 2009 due to accusations of having taken $6 million in bribes from a businessman. Any agreement the US signs with South Korea is virtually guaranteed to be ignored and misappropriated by corrupt parties within the South Korean government, akin to the United Nations Oil for Food Program and most foreign aid to third world nations. The United States would thus be repeating the same mistakes, by pandering to a corrupt government for the sake of its votes at the United Nations.

3) South Korea has not demonstrated itself to be a true ally of the United States . For nine years it has failed to substantially support the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , that is, until now, when the US Free Trade Agreement is under consideration. Despite repeated pleas from the US to send soldiers for these wars, it had only sent 200 medics and engineers to Afghanistan and withdrew all of them two years ago, as soon as one South Korean citizen was taken hostage. On Oct. 30, 2009 South Korea announced that it would send troops to Afghanistan to “protect its civilian workers” which total just 130, who “will not take part in combat operations.” Hardly the actions of a “true” ally, after 50,000 American lives were sacrificed fighting against its enemies and billions of US tax payer dollars were spent to protect South Korea for the past 60 years.

4) The world has changed in the past decade and the United States cannot afford to be economically subsidizing nations with Free Trade Agreements who are not true allies. Doing so at this time when US unemployment is high and our economy is faltering would be tantamount to committing economic suicide for the United States .

5) The preferential treatment of South Korea may also instigate friction with other, more economically and militarily formidable, southeast Asian nations, at a time when our foreign policy is under duress.

6) The United States should no longer ignore or take lightly any association with nations that utilize any form of torture.

7) South Korea ’s well known unfair trade practices, detailed in House Resolution 934, is yet another reason why South Korea should not be accorded any advantages whatsoever. As it is, South Korea already discriminates against American made automobiles with its policies to impede the import of automobiles, yet exports 70% of it automobile production to the United States , thereby causing unemployment in the USA . In short, South Korea is an economically rogue nation, willing to violate every concept of fairness, decency, and civility.

The Alliance Against Animal Cruelty represents over 20 million people determined to end South Korean dog and cat consumption. For all the above reasons we respectfully seek your support. During the 1988 Olympics and again during the World Cup in 2001 South Korea closed the “dog torture markets” and it can easily do so permanently.

We appeal to your compassion and conscience, to your commitment to civilized values and the rejection of torture, to your love and dedication to the welfare of the United States ; we ask you to oppose any Free Trade Agreement with South Korea .

Our Alliance , which includes many of your constituents, seeks a meeting with you to discuss this important matter further. We look forward to your response.

Cordially yours,

Garo Alexanian

Ed Wiacek

Andy Sessa

On behalf of the Executive Board