The cruel reality of veal production.

On January 16, 2012, KARA and other animal groups protests against the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries's handling of recent cattle pricing problems and its decision to promote veal.

Background to the cattle farming crisis can be found here.

Protesting outside the Gwacheon government complex.

Remarkably, the Minister of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Seo Gyu-yong, announced that South Korean veal will be produced to be so tender that even a baby with no teeth can chew on it!

Reading between the lines, it is obvious that the ministor and his department want to get people eating meat younger than ever to boost meat industry profits.

Never mind the cruelty involved. This again shows not just the lack of ethical concern in the Korean government's practices but also how out of touch and backward it still is with regard to animal welfare.

This promotional effort will also represent another shift in Korea towards the American diet, a diet heavy in meat and diary and one that is responsible for a host of health problems in the US, from obesity to heart disease to diabetes and even cancer.

KARA Director Yim Soonrye campaiging outside the ministry on what was a cold day.

Another bizarre and cruel idea the minister has is to create a "Virgin hanwoo" brand to promote the consumption of Korean hanwoo beef.

KARA and other groups demanded the government do the following:

- Support farms with food for cattle so they do not starve to death.

- Stop the cruel idea of promoting veal.

- Eliminate FTA regulations and imports of foreign livestock products.

- Provide a lasting solution for Korean cattle farmers and cattle.

- Provide better conditions for farm animals.

On November 7, 2011, a boat was found in the West Sea of South Korea that contained 21 North Korea defectors, as well as a dog. It was very unusual to see North Korean defectors escape to the South with a dog. In fact, this the first case of an nonhuman defector!

Usually, North Korean defectors are reluctant to bring any animals with them because of the risk of them making sounds that would expose them. They might be discovered by ever vigilant North Korean boarder watchers.

It is not clear why the defectors decided to bring a dog. Presumably, it belonged to one of North Koreans, or it could have been with them as a source of food in case their food ran out.

To prevent the dog being sent to a council run shelter, where animals are usually euthanized within 10 days of their arrival, KARA has been trying to track down its current location.

It appears that he was placed in quarantine for 30 days and will be handed over to the Korean Navy, who initially found the dog. He is a little underweight but in a good health.

KARA has submitted an official statement asking the officials to keep us updated on the North Korean dog's situation and let us know if they experience any difficulty in re-homing him.