LCA/ALW’s 5-month Investigation into Seongnam Moran Market Exposes the Ongoing Cruelty of the Dog Meat Trade

BREAKING August 15, 2022 – LCA/ALW’s 5-month undercover investigation, conducted between February and June 2022, revealed the trafficking of pet dogs into the meat trade by “middle merchants” that travel by truck across S. Korea. Investigators witnessed middle merchants buying pet dogs from households, churches and factories that are first sold at dog meat auction houses, then secretly electrocuted in nearby slaughterhouses.

The meat from these slaughtered dogs is sold by vendors located in Seongnam Moran Market.

Drone footage captured trucks delivering dogs to the Ansan slaughterhouse. Footage also showed dogs suffering during transport before being electrocuted by slaughterers in full view of other dogs.

LCA/ALW’S INVESTIGATION REVEALED:

• The existence of ‘middle merchants’ that travel by truck across S. Korea buying pet dogs from households, churches and factories to be sold at auction houses. This is in violation of Animal Protection Act 12(2) and 12(3).
• Dogs crammed into small wire cages transported by truck to hidden, illegal dog slaughterhouses suffer from injuries, shortness of breath and sudden changes in body temperature during transportation. This is a violation of 8(2)4 of the Animal Protection Act.
• Dogs arriving at illegal slaughterhouses are stabbed repeatedly with electric rods. Killing by electrocution, beating or hanging is an act of ‘animal cruelty’ prohibited by the Animal Protection Act. This is a violation of Article 8 (1) 1 and 2 of the Animal Protection Act.
• Dead bodies of dogs being thrown on the ground and shoved by foot by slaughterers to “process” them.
• 10 vendors are still selling dog meat or “Bosintang” (dog meat soup) in Moran Market.

Dogs that are trafficked, auctioned, and/or slaughtered are ultimately delivered as ‘meat’ to the vendors of Seongnam Moran Market. According to S. Korea’s Food Sanitation Act, dogs are not listed in the ‘Food Standards and Specifications’ (Food Code) as one of the raw materials that can be used for any type of food. However, cooking and selling of dog meat is happening every day in Moran Market. This is a Violation of Article 7 (4) of the Food Sanitation Act.

Seongnam City has a long history of promising to end dog meat in Moran Market.

In 2016, Seongnam City signed a ‘Memorandum of Understanding for Environmental Maintenance of the Moran Market’ with the Moran Livestock Market Merchants Association and started to eliminate the practice of displaying and slaughtering live dogs in the market.

In 2018, the city announced that “dog slaughter in the Seongnam Moran Market has disappeared into history” and promised that it will “continue to facilitate the transition of vendors so that the distribution of dog meat within the market completely disappears”. The City drove the display, storage and slaughter of live dogs out of the market.

In May 2022, Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin announced he would “modernize the Moran Market so that it becomes a prestigious one visited by the people all over the country”.

However, the ongoing cruelty of the dog meat trade and the sale of dog meat at Moran Market continues.

In July 2021, LCA/ALW’s investigation also proved dog meat sold in the market had been illegally slaughtered ‘outside the market’. Lawsuits were filed against two slaughterhouses and one auction house in Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province. Individual butchers who slaughtered 100 to 200 dogs per week and the owner/operator of Yeoju auction house received a fine of approximately $4,000 USD. The slaughterhouses were shut down. The auction house owner continues to operate due to inaction by Yeoju City officials. Facilities involved in the dog meat industry can easily continue operating as their annual revenue far exceeds the amount of fines they are charged when caught violating the law.

Behind the scenes of the dog meat being sold at Moran Market, there is a nationwide network of middle merchants, illegal slaughterhouses, illegal auction houses and farms.

Action is Needed by Seongnam City to Permanently End the Moran Market Dog Meat Trade. Sign the petition here.

Nine Dogs Rescued by LCA/ALW in Raid on an Illegal Slaughterhouse Arrive in the United States for Adoption

Great News! The nine dogs rescued from a S. Korean dog meat slaughterhouse as a result of LCA/ALW’s latest investigation have arrived safely in the U.S. between 09/2021-11/2021. LCA/ALW has partnered with START Rescue to coordinate the U.S. adoptions.

 Blossom (now Abby), Waterboy (now Marley), Rown and Vandal (now Koa) have already been adopted and are adjusting to life in their new homes.  

Lorian is adjusting to life in a foster home. Lorian and his brother Vandal began their lives in cages on a dog meat farm. He is looking for a home that can provide lots of extra love, care, and patience. For more information email adoptions@startrescue.org 

 Star, Ally, Chunsam and Naru are shy dogs needing extra care, socializing and attention. Chunsam and Naru are in the care of Pawsitively Saved Rescue in Oregon.

Stop Dog Slaughter Banner Drops in Seoul 

 On 10/5/2021, activists with LCA and ALW dropped a 100’ x 100’ Stop Dog Slaughter banner off the side of a building in one of Seoul’s busiest districts. The banner featured a photo of a slaughtered dog taken during LCA/ALW’s investigation into the Moran Market (aka the “Mecca of Dog Meat”), released in July 2021. 

The action aimed to mount pressure on the National Assembly to pass legislation introduced in December 2020 to end the dog meat trade. 

 In September 2021, S. Korean President Moon said, “the time is ripe for us to consider banning dog meat consumption”. Moon has made similar comments in the past but has failed to take action.

LCA/ALW 8-Month Undercover Dog Meat Investigation

Leads to Raid on Illegal Slaughterhouses
and Dogs Rescued from Dog Meat Trade 

THE RAID 

In the early morning hours of July 9, 2021, Last Chance for Animals (LCA) and Animal Liberation Wave (ALW), working with activists, journalists from Korean Media outlets , police, and Yeoju City’s Animal Protection officers, raided two illegal dog slaughterhouses in Yeoju City, about an hour outside of Seoul. The slaughterhouses had been documented by LCA/ALW as part of an extensive, eight-month undercover investigation into facilities supplying the Moran Market (a.k.a the mecca of dog meat).

Upon entry inside one of the slaughterhouses, one dog had already been killed and more than ten dogs crammed inside transport crates waiting to be slaughtered. Police arrested three slaughterhouse employees.

At the slaughterhouse, Animal Protection Officers (APO) discovered 60 dogs onsite, and removed 15 dogs to a nearby animal shelter that “looked like they were being abused at that very moment”. Despite protests by LCA/ALW, 45 dogs were ordered to be left behind by APO. LCA/ALW discovered they were later secretly moved by other slaughterers to another slaughterhouse.

As the raid was taking place, 15 activists staged a peaceful protest outside to mourn the dogs who have been killed in the dog meat trade and demand an end to dog slaughter nationwide.

REMOVAL AND RESCUE OF DOGS

In total, 15 dogs were removed from the slaughterhouse by APO’s and taken to a local city animal shelter. Unfortunately, one dog, a large Dosa, was not afforded protection, and despite protests from LCA/ALW, was returned to the slaughterers. Another two dogs, in very bad health, died before arriving at the shelter.

On July 22, 2021, LCA/ALW rescued the surviving 12 dogs and transported them to a veterinary hospital for medical examinations. Four dogs were diagnosed with canine distemper, a serious virus with a low survival rate. Another three dogs, in bad health, died or had to be euthanized, despite attempts to give them the best care possible. Sadly, due to the filthy, factory-farm type conditions dogs are kept in by the dog meat industry, diseases run rampant. Dogs are denied proper veterinary care, just like other animals raised in factory-farm conditions.

 The remaining 9 dogs named by LCA/ALW, Waterboy, Rown, Blossom, Vandal, Lorian, Naru, Chunsam, Star and Ally – are recovering in the veterinary hospital. Waterboy and Rown are being treated for distemper, while the rest of the seven dogs have been vaccinated, spayed/neutered, and microchipped.

All 9 dogs need to complete a mandatory quarantine period, until the end of August before they will be taken to a no-kill shelter where they will be assessed for adoption

CURRENT RESULTS OF THE UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION AND RAID

1. LCA/ALW File Lawsuits Against 2 Dog Slaughterhouses and 1 Dog Auction House

LCA/ALW filed 3 lawsuits for violations of the Animal Protection Act with the Yeoju Police against the owner and related persons of 3 operations; 2 slaughterhouses and 1 auction house.

Violations included:
-leading to death in a brutal way (electrocution)
-killing animals in front of other animals of same species
-causing injury to animals by deliberately dropping their cages when transporting
-inflicting physical pain or injury upon an animal for any other purpose without any justifiable ground such as a need for veterinary treatment

2. LCA/ALW Filed an Official Complaint with Yeoju City About 45 Dogs Left at Slaughterhouse

LCA/ALW filed an official complaint with Yeoju City Officials, demanding to know why 45 dogs were left behind at the slaughterhouse and demanding the illegal slaughterhouses be demolished. One slaughterhouse is operating on land registered as a “factory” and the other is located on land zoned for “agricultural purposes” and not  registered.LCA/ALW Prepare a Report to Lobby for an End to the Dog Meat Trade

ALW/LCA are in the process of writing a report containing information obtained from the eight-month undercover investigation and slaughterhouse raid. The report will be used to lobby the South Korean government and National Assembly to put an end to the horrific dog meat trade and rally public support for the legislation introduced in December 2020 that would ban the killing of dogs and cats for meat.

3. Media Coverage and Awareness

The undercover investigation, raid and peaceful protest were reported on extensively by the South Korean media via mainstream television stations – JTBC, Sisain, and KBS – and by leading newspaper outlets, including Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang. The media attention brings much-needed public awareness about the dog meat trade, which operates secretly, in the shadows of mainstream society.

UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATION exposes illegal activities and companion animals slaughtered in South Korea’s cruel dog meat industry

JULY 8, 2021 – For eight months, from October 2020 to May 2021, Last Chance for Animals (LCA) and sister organization, Animal Liberation Wave (ALW), conducted a comprehensive on-the-ground undercover investigation into the dog meat trade in South Korea. The investigation was focused on the two biggest dog meat stores in Seongnam Moran Market, a.k.a. the “mecca of dog meat,” and other facilities related to them. 

Video footage was obtained from auctions, farms, markets and slaughterhouses. Throughout the investigation, dog slaughterers were documented violating Korea’s Animal Protection Act by committing animal cruelty. Footage shows companion animals, still with their collars on, being slaughtered alongside Dosa and Jindo dogs, that are purposely bred and raised on farms, and considered “meat dogs” by many Koreans.

The investigation uncovered the activities of the entire dog meat supply chain – slaughter, sale and breeding – operating in secrecy on sites strictly hidden, while the sale of dog meat is still done in a public, open manner in Moran Market.

LCA and ALW filed a lawsuit against the slaughterers and auctioneers on July 9, 2021 KST with the Suwon Prosecution Office in South Korea for documented violations of South Korea’s Animal Protection Act. 

LCA and ALW have demanded the Yeoju City Government take due responsibility for the dogs at the slaughterhouse, charge the slaughterhouse owners with animal cruelty,  environmental and land use violations, and shut them down. 

LCA/ALW’S INVESTIGATION REVEALED:

• Systematic cruelty towards dogs at auctions, markets, farms and slaughterhouses
• Dogs illegally and brutally killed in hidden slaughterhouses
• Many different breeds of companion animals killed alongside dogs bred for meat
• Collars being cut off companion dogs by slaughterers
• Vendors at Moran Market supplying live dogs to slaughterhouses
• Illegal dog auction house holding auctions 3 times a week
• Dogs painfully and forcefully dragged by rope around their necks 
• Dogs crammed into small wire cages piled on top of each other
• Dogs killed by an electrocution rod in the mouth in full view of other animals
• Dogs still alive and convulsing after electrocution
• Dogs living in cages their entire lives on wire floors and eating filthy waste food
• Dogs recoiling in fear when witnessing dogs being electrocuted
• Dogs screaming and fighting for their lives till the end
• Electric rods, gas cans, hair loss machines, torches, and steel cages in the slaughterhouses

Video from the investigation has been released by both LCA and ALW.  LCA’s video is narrated by Academy Award winning actress Kim Basinger. ALW’s video is narrated by MBC Drama Award winning actress Lim Se-mi. 

This investigation shows the hidden reality of South Korea’s dog meat industry in the 21st century.

The Seongnam Moran Market, the “mecca of dog meat,” has not disappeared.

In 2016, Seongnam City government officials stated their intent to stop the dog meat trade in Moran Market. “Starting off with the removal of slaughtering facilities and cages in the market, we will ultimately stop the dog meat trade in Moran Market,” Seongnam city official Kang Won-gu told The Korea Herald. 

LCA/ALW investigators documented a steady stream of live dogs taken to the market, transported to slaughterhouses at night, and dead dogs delivered back in the morning. 

Footage shows dogs, that were most likely someone’s pet, and dogs born and raised on farms, all share the same fate of experiencing extreme fear and pain before they are killed brutally in slaughterhouses. 

In 2020, Seoul’s High Court convicted a butcher, who electrocuted and killed a dog, of “animal abuse.” Even after the ruling, dogs continue to be slaughtered in the same cruel manner. 

Dogs have been, and continue to be, brutally and illegally slaughtered in violation of South Korea’s current Animal Protection Act laws. The law states: (an) act of leading to death in a cruel way referred to in Article 8 (1); and An act of causing death in front of another animal of type 2 under Article 8 (1). Footage obtained by LCA/ALW documented dogs being slaughtered in full view of each other. In one instance, a dog exhibited fear and recoiled in his transport crate after watching another be violently electrocuted.

A new dog slaughter ban has been introduced in the current 2020-2024 South Korean National Assembly. The bill is an amendment to the Animal Protection Act prohibiting the act of slaughtering and processing of dogs and cats to use or sell for food. The bill states that “the perception that dogs are pets/companions is prevalent around the world” and that “China, Taiwan, and others have recently taken measures to phase out dog meat consumption.”

GLOBAL CITIZENS – TAKE ACTION – CLICK HERE to sign the change.org petition demanding fast passage of South Korea’s new dog slaughter ban

Every year, a million dogs are brutally slaughtered in S. Korea for meat while the government turns a blind eye.

LCA has formed a sister organization in S. Korea, Animal Liberation Wave (ALW), with one mission in mind–to end the dog meat trade.  Rescuing dogs one-at-a-time is not the answer and will not put an end this horrific industry.  This can only be accomplished with S. Korean citizens demanding change at the government level.  With “boots-on-the-ground” in Korea, LCA and ALW are in a position to affect real change. With a series of strategic events planned, LCA and ALW aim to mobilize S. Koreans in their own country to call for the end of the dog meat trade.

Currently, one out of five S. Koreans (2 million – one-fifth of a ten million population) have dogs as companion animals.  Old attitudes are changing; dogs are increasingly being considered as part of the family.

There are three legal loopholes that allow the S. Korean dog meat industry to exist:

1. Animal Protection Act loophole: Dogs are legally categorized as “companion animals” in this act, and it says they “must not be killed in a brutal way.” However, because the slaughter is not outlawed outright in this language, the butchering continues.

2. Wastes Control Act loophole: Most dog farms that dot the S. Korean countryside gather rotten food waste from restaurants and force feed it to the dogs to save money. If using food waste as animal feed is outright banned by this act, most dog farms won’t be able to operate economically.

3. Livestock Industry Act loophole: This outdated act still recognizes dogs as “livestock,” a direct contradiction to the Animal Protection Act, and results in millions of dogs being bred, raised, and killed under horrific conditions for their flesh.

Consequently, dogs are considered as both “companion” and “livestock” by Korean law. The government’s negligence is at the core of the dog meat problem.

Three amendments that would help put an end to the dog meat trade in S. Korea:

1. MP Pyo Chang-won’s amendment to the Animal Protection Act would outlaw the slaughter of dogs and cats for meat if passed.

2. MP Han Jeoung-ae’s amendment to the Wastes Control Act would make it illegal to feed dogs with food waste.

3. MP Lee Sang-don’s amendment to the Livestock Industry Act would unify the legal status of dogs in S. Korea by removing them from the livestock list.

LCA & ALW File Lawsuit: S. Korean Meat Dogs Supplied to Research Facility

December 24, 2019 – LCA and ALW have filed a lawsuit against a Kyungpook National University (KNU) professor after a whistleblower exposed live experiments on dogs obtained from a dog meat market. The lawsuit was filed against the professor for falsifying official documents, obstructing the performance of official duties of KNU’s Animal Testing Ethics Committee, failing to consider alternative methods to reproductive tests, and for animal abuse. A student taking an Obstetric Practice course first exposed breeding tests at KNU’s Veterinary Science Department in August 2019. The class, designed to teach students about reproductive physiology, required students to perform repeated vaginal cell tests on five female dogs and breed them during mating period. 

LCA & ALW Expose Illegal S. Korean Dog Meat Auction House

June 2019 – LCA and ALW—with the assistance of S. Korean JTBC News—exposed an unlicensed auction house selling dogs for consumption in Gimpo, S. Korea. LCA and ALW first began investigating the auction house in the winter of 2018, documenting squalid living conditions for the 500 to 600 dogs that were transported to and housed in the facility each week. During the investigation, around 200 dogs were found crammed into wire cages, many of which were clearly suffering from untreated medical conditions. 

August 5, 2019 – LCA and ALW held a demonstration in front of the auction house, which was operating illegally in a ‘no livestock zone’, and found a memo on the building stating the auction house workers were on leave until August 15; however, activists could hear dogs barking inside that were left to fend for themselves in the scorching heat.

September 3, 2019 – The investigation into the auction house and LCA/ALW’s subsequent protest resulted in Gimpo City officials investigating the unlicensed facility. On August 28, 2019, the auction house was closed and all of its cages were demolished.

2019 Bok Nal Protest

On July 11, 2019, LCA, ALW, and actress Kim Basinger held a joint press conference with MP Pyo Chang-won ahead of the 2019 Boknal protest, demanding the Korean government to pass MP Pyo’s proposed amendment to the Animal Protection Act, which would outlaw the slaughter of dogs and cats for meat across the country.

On July 12, LCA and ALW gathered in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, S. Korea to protest Boknal—the hottest days of the Korean summer when the consumption of dog meat soup, known as “Boshingtang” rises to combat the extreme heat. Countless protesters joined LCA and ALW for a silent memorial and held replicas of dead dogs to represent the dogs that were brutally slaughtered for their meat.

In the News:

CNN – Kim Basinger joins protest against dog meat trade in Seoul

BBC News – Kim Basinger joins South Korea dog meat protests

People – Kim Basinger makes rare appearance in South Korea for the Animal Protection Act

LCA and ALW’s “Stop the Villain Truck” Campaign

Filled with fake, stuffed dogs to resemble the real trucks used to transport dogs from farms to slaughterhouses — LCA and ALW’s “Stop the Villain Truck” is raising awareness for the barbaric slaughter of dogs in S. Korea’s dog meat trade.

The campaign is also urging S. Korean MPs to review and pass MP Pyo Chang-won’s proposed amendment to the Animal Protection Act to ban the slaughter of dogs and cats for meat during the National Assembly’s 2019 session — which commenced on March 7.

To garner support for MP Pyo’s proposed amendment, the “villain truck” gathered S. Korean citizens’ messages in Hongdae Station demanding its passage. LCA and ALW hand-delivered the messages to the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans & Fisheries Committee.

Beam Projection

On Nov. 22, 2018, LCA and ALW launched a beam projection onto the National Assembly building to raise awareness for the cruel dog meat industry as S. Korean MPs met to discuss MP Chang-won’s proposed amendment to the Animal Protection Act.

Flower Dog Project

LCA and ALW launched the Flower Dog Project, a mobile art installation of 8 dogs, during the PyeongChang Olympics to bring awareness of the dog meat trade to the Korean public and international tourists.

From September 27 to October 2, 2018, the Flower Dogs were on display in the main lobby of S. Korea’s National Assembly as MPs convened to discuss and vote on three important bills aimed at ending the current legal basis for the dog meat trade in the country.

During the meeting, MPs Han Jeoung-ae, Lee Sang-don, and Pyo Chang-won (along with LCA and ALW) called on other MPs to put a stop to the cruel dog meat trade by voting in favor of their proposed amendments to the Wastes Control Act, the Livestock Act, and the Animal Protect Act — which would ban feeding dogs with food waste, unify the legal status of dogs in S. Korea by removing them from the livestock list, and outlaw the slaughter of dogs for meat, respectively.

2018 Bok Nal Protests: The Silent Protests Heard Around the World

Two important petitions awaiting responses from the S. Korean government. (The goal of 200,000 signatures was reached!)

1. Ban the slaughter of dogs for meat under S. Korea’s Animal Protection Act: Proposed on 6/20/18, by MP Chang-won, this bill will make it fundamentally illegal to slaughter dogs for meat under S. Korea’s Animal Protection Act. Although dogs are not labeled as food under the Sanitary Control of Livestock Products Act, a million are slaughtered for meat every year. The Animal Protection Act has been largely unsuccessful in protecting dogs since it only prohibits and punishes killing animals “brutally” or “under unjustified reasons”. If passed, MP Pyo’s bill, which prohibits ANY killing of animals unless otherwise stated in other relevant legislation such as Sanitary Control of Livestock Products Act (in which dogs are not included), will be a severe blow to the country’s dog meat trade.

https://www1.president.go.kr/petitions/281200     PETITION CLOSED 7/24/18 — 212,424 signatures

2. Remove dogs from S. Korea’s Livestock Industry Act: Proposed on 5/15/18, by MP Sang-don, this bill seeks to remove dogs from the livestock list. Currently, dogs in S. Korea are considered companion animals, yet they are also defined as livestock according to the Livestock Industry Act. MP Lee’s important bill would eliminate the only present legal basis of dog farms and would unite the legal status of dogs as companion animals. While the bill would not outlaw raising dogs on dog farms, it is a significant step in the right direction, in that it would resolve the contradictory status of dogs in S. Korea as both companion animals (under the Animal Protection Act) and livestock (under the Livestock Industry Act).

https://www1.president.go.kr/petitions/272632     PETITION CLOSED 7/17/2018 — 214,634 SIGNATURES