IAKA - International Aid for Korean Animals - News & Information

Recent news has emerged from Korea, implicating the involvement of several Jincheon County council members in an illegal bear meat restaurant. The story has sparked public outrage in Korea as it highlights the horrible treatment of farmed moon bears and the hypocrisy of the government officials who regard the bears not as a protected species, but as a culinary delicacy.

The restaurant is owned by Kim Dong Ku, also a council member, who along with his wife, operates an adjacent bear farm where the bear meat is obtained on demand. Though the husband and wife have claimed to keep moon bears as pets, news reports reveal that they in fact operate a farm where as many as 20 bears are crammed to a single cage.

When a bear dish is ordered, a bear is brutally clubbed to death and slaughtered on the spot. Restaurant patrons are also given the option of a "take out" menu, in which they can purchase bear cubs directly from the farm.

Though bear farms regretfully remain legal in Korea, slaughtering the bears for their meat violates several laws. The Chef Yoo Young Hun has since publicly apologized for his actions, but claims he did not know that the bears were illegally killed. This is hard to believe, as villagers in the area have witnessed the council members dining at the restaurant very regularly and it is likely that hundreds of bears have been brutally killed and consumed by the council members.

The scandal has created public outrage in Korea, highlighting the cruelty and horrific treatment of Moon Bears and exposing the connection between bear farms and government officials. Now more than ever, we need you to call upon Korea's Ministry of Environment to ban bear farming and to strengthen laws against bear meat restaurants.

Please sign the online petition:
http://www.moonbears.org/
http://www.animalsasia.org/

http://www.koreananimals.org/info/campaigns/bearfarming...