Them and Us- Judge Ourselves Before we Judge Koreans

There are often pictures in the media  from Eastern Asia of dog farms and dog eaters and dog butchers and all those kind of horrors that upset us so much. If the posts allow reader comments then these pictures will always be accompanied by words such as how barbaric that nationality or nation is.

I really do not want to make these judgements though. I am campaigning against the dog-meat trade but how can I expect a nation of people to like and respect my opinions if I don't even like and respect them? So, with this in mind I ventured off to Seoul in South Korea with the intention that I really wanted to like Korea and the Koreans and I am very happy to say, I did!

A Friendly Country and People

The Koreans can be very friendly and sweet. They often want to practice their English with you (though most of the time this is poor) and so are keen to chat and talk about your country.

Straight off the plane in Seoul I was met with taxi drivers touting for business. When I turned down their offers they gave me big smiles and asked where I was going and pointed me in the direction of the bus I should take. A big difference and happier alternative to cab drivers in most Western capital cities.

A few times in the city when I was lost and finally gave in and asked for help, Koreans would look at my map, get lost too (Seoul maps and directions are notorious) but then wander around with me for quite a long time until we found where I was looking for. I loved them for their patience and kindness.

I have campaigned with placards and flyers in the UK and Korea and I would say there are equal percentages of people who i) are embarrassed by you ii) ignore you iii) get angry with you iv) sympathise with your cause, so in this respect I found Koreans no more or less open to new ideas and charity than the British.

All Dogs are Equal, but Some are More Equal Than Others

I was pleased to hear that owning pets is on the increase and that 1 in 4 (25%) households in S. Korea now have a pet. This compares with 46% in the UK and 62% in the USA. But I was also saddened to hear that even pet owners still distinguish between meat dogs and pet dogs.

Nureongi- Yellow dogs are popular for meat

To me, a dog is a dog. No matter what kind of dog it is it doesn't deserve to be killed and eaten and that is what all Westerners think too- a dog is a dog and they all deserve equal rights. But is this correct? True, Westerners don't eat dogs but they do distinguish between different kinds of dogs- those that deserve lives as pets in a loving home and those that can be left to be killed in their millions. You don't agree with me? Admit the fact that practically every person you know who gets a new dog gets a pedigree and pays hundreds or thousands of pounds for the pleasure. These will all be puppies. Even a pedigree dog who has had a previous owner and is therefore a bit older is often considered 'second-hand' and no longer valuable. We continue to buy these infant pedigrees from breeders even though there are thousands of dogs in shelters and council run dog pounds who are unwanted and homeless. We know the homeless dogs are unhappy there. We know that most of them will be euthanised in the next few days or if they are 'lucky' will have found their way to a no-kill shelter but could likely be left to languish there for years. We don't give them a home or save them from death and instead would prefer to buy a 'new' pedigree.
No tale of a homeless dog can entice the majority of us to choose them over the breeders' pedigrees- their history of abuse, their amputated limbs, their loving personalities despite the trials they have endured, the fact that they are sweet young puppies and could have a whole life ahead of them or that they are old and frail and not much time left to receive the love they have never had.
We don't care because we set hugely different values between some dogs and others. This makes us like Koreans.

Korean Jindo

Eating our National Treasures

The Jindo is South Korea's national dog but I found it strange that this breed was also a popular dog to be killed for meat. At first I was disturbed to find out how Korea's national treasure could so easily be consigned to the dinner plate- what a nation of twisted personalities the Koreans must be, I thought. Until, I considered my own country. In Scotland we love our Highland cows. They are incredibly cute, big, shaggy cattle mainly in a very fetching ginger colour that can be found in our countryside. We proudly show them off on calendars, posters, mug coasters, you name it; where there is a Scottish tourism shop you will find these cows in pictures and as stuffed toys and ornaments. We love them. Yet, these animals still meet the fate of all other farmed animals in Britain- stunned (probably inefficiently), hoisted by 1 leg in to the air, their throats cut and then bled to death. This is what Scottish people allow to be done to their own national treasure. Which, in my mind makes us no better than Koreans in the way we can mix cute and cruelty when it suits us.

Cute Highland Cow calendar- hang this up in your kitchen while cookimg your beef dinner.

More Highland Cow nonsense- lets people think they are an animal lover

Helping Animals/ Loving Humans 

If you want to do your best to help animals, you have to be a great communicator with humans. To do this you need to  develop a relationship with them and a good way to do this is to find some common ground. It's difficult to find common ground or to even want to find common ground if you think they are a subspecies with no morals or heart. Yes, they may do things that we find repugnant but to be reminded of our own imperfections and the excuses we make for these may aid us in finding a way to debate and negotiate with these people in a better and more acceptable manner. Be nice- it will help animals so much more!

Milky- the Brave Korean Puppy

During our campaign against the dog-meat industry in Seoul, this little fellow was our mascot. His name is Milky and he is a 5 month old pup who has been through hell, but has survived due to love.

A woman who lived near Seoul contacted Nami Kim and told her she had seen angry men chasing 2 puppies in her village. One of the pups had been thrown in to a boiling pot of water to be cooked but had miraculously managed to climb out and escape. His brother, who was to share the same fate, and he ran off together. So, Milky managed to save his brother's life too. At this time they were about 2 months old. The woman went searching for the pups but she could not find them until the next day when she found the 2 brothers sheltering together. The healthy pup never left his sick brother's side. The kind lady got word to dog saviour, Nami Kim, who said she would take the dogs and provide critical medical attention.


This is a film of Milky when he arrived at the vet's. His eyes were badly burned and infection had set in to his legs so an amputation of a leg and blindness were thought possible.

Milky was shivering all the way but quiet, this little good boy is taking the pain in silence. As usual, such experience makes me look at dogs enlightened beings, not animal. Thank you all for the supports, encouraging word, we may not be able to search every corner of Korea but this happens still, often in rural areas, there must be many many Milky out there gone into the boiling hot pots being boiled alive.Please sign and share this petition: https://www.change.org/p/president-geun-hye-park-south-korea-stop-boiling-puppies-alive-ban-the-puppy-and-kitten-consumption-now
Posted by Nami Kim on Monday, 1 June 2015

A few days later the brothers were reunited at the vet and comforted each other. Milky had to have surgery on his damaged eyes. His brother, now named Snowy, was checked and declared healthy, thank goodness.

Update - Milky A little reunion, Milky's brother Snowy visited his brother this afternoon. Milky was licking his brother. It is 8 pm now (Korea time) Milky is undergoing eye surgery right now. According to the eye specialist, nothing is certain at this moment as the cornea is badly damaged. The infection on the right foot seems under control, no amputation.Had the vet checked on Snowy, very healthy, he is with me and will visit his brother often to cheer him up.Will update on the two pups on weekly, thank you all for your concern.
Posted by Nami Kim on Thursday, 4 June 2015

Today, 3 months later, Milky is very healthy and well. He is a miracle dog. Thank you to his wonderful veterinary care and to Nami Kim and her team for finding the way to pay for this and for providing lots of love and compassion. I was thrilled to meet this little hero when I arrived in Seoul. As I said, he is the current mascot of the campaign. We had a billboard of pictures of his injuries alongside Milky himself. This shocked some people and made them sad but it made them think about what is happening in their own country.

Below is a film of Milky greeting Nami home- what a loving little Angel he is. How can he like humans after all he has been through? But that is dogs for you- forgiving and loving.

Snowy now lives in a wonderful and happy home in the USA. Milky will find a similarly fabulous home too. Nami will ensure this. He is calm with other dogs and is loving to humans but growls or barks when he sees an older man, probably because they remind him of his tormentors. I did a few minutes training with him and he responded very quickly so I think the growling at older men thing can be trained out of him easily.
All films and photos are ©Nami Kim and ©savekoreandogs

Twelve Years a Slave- Book

One of those books that everyone should have at hand, to read passages from when they feel like grumbling about their lot in life, especially about their work.

Solomon Northup was a free man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The very descriptive details in this book really bring the whole world of the southern states of the USA (particularly Louisiana, the kinds of agriculture, natural history, the people (slaves, Native Americans and white people)) and the times (written in 1853 about the 12 years preceding) to life so should be of great interest to history fans as well as from a sociological perspective.

Such a sad and hard book to read, and only bearable because I knew the author escaped slavery, as implied by the title. It describes the incredibly hard work and long hours the slaves endured: up before sunrise, in the fields till sundown only to be faced with more chores! Such as cutting wood or feeding and combing the mules. THEN making their meals for the next day! They went to sleep very late and exhausted. During their workdays they were constantly watched over by the overseers, chastised and whipped if they stopped working for a moment. Older age, over-bearing heat, over-work or illness were no excuses to be 'idle'.

Whippings were doled out with abandon and this cast a heavy shadow over the slaves' lives- fear of being so tired that they would wake late, fear if they hadn't picked enough cotton, or if they had picked too much cotton this would be recorded and they were expected to pick the same amounts the next days or they would be punished, fear lest the master took a personal dislike to you or in the case of the women, too much of a liking to you.

Before the book is read it is hard to believe how someone could be kept captive for 12 years without escaping or finding help but it is learnt that having a piece of paper or a writing instrument was punishable so sending communication to a potential rescuer was almost impossible. Escape was difficult as good monetary rewards for the recapture of a slave and the rights to beat or hang were given to white men who found a wandering slave who did not have a pass from his owner. The land of this story was surrounded by swamps and bayous and slaves were not allowed to learn to swim in order to prevent their escape through this kind of terrain.

I loved the book so much that I was keen to watch the 2013 film of the name but I was quite disappointed in it. I know it's an Oscar winner and people love it, but compared to the book, I found the characters (not the lead) a bit one dimensional. Solomon broke his violin in the film but he did not do this in the book. He adored his violin and it gave him spiritual strength as he could play happy tunes to cheer himself or sad tunes to express his feelings. It also earned him some wages. A few more annoyances- actresses weeping heartily but with no tears, an added sexual scene never mentioned in the book.

But sadly, the realities of the book were even harsher than the film. The slaves were more modest and less argumentative but the punishments were much more severe and the hardships more explicitly described.


The book was a best-seller when first published and sold about 30,000 copies. It must have made a big impact on the anti-slavery movement.

It's remarkable that this book was printed last in the 19th century then went out of print until 1968. It's a wonderful thing that it was rediscovered and popularised.

A rare first edition of the book. There are believed to be about 200 copies of this kind.