KARA consists of a group of people living in Korea who believe that animals should be respected as sentient beings, with as much right as we have to live on this planet without suffering and tyranny.

KARA works constantly to educate the public and raise awareness of the ethical issues surrounding the treatment of animals. In Korea, as in other countries, the exploitation and abuse of animals is a constant problem. It is made worse by Korea's very poor animal welfare reputation, its weak and ineffective animal protection laws, and because the concept of animal rights has not entered into public consciousness as much as it has in other developed countries.

The campaigning KARA undertakes is targeted at a broad range of animal welfare and animal rights issues, including calls for proper animal protection laws, protesting animal testing and the exploitation of animals for entertainment, and seeking reform for the welfare of farm animals.

Among KARA’s numerous campaigns, one that receives a high priority and focus is the campaign against the dog meat industry. The dog meat issue receives a lot of attention because it is a problem pertinent to Korea and the issues surrounding it are not often addressed or fully exposed by groups outside of Korea. Another reason is that for KARA, the problems surrounding the dog meat industry are flashpoints for problems that concern Korean animal welfare in general. Making advances to stop the evils perpetrated against dogs will have a flow on effect of improving welfare for other animals.

Aside from protest actions, KARA is involved in volunteer shelter work and the distribution of donated food and financial aid to animal shelters. KARA supports over 20 private animal shelters. KARA members take part in trap, neuter and release (TNR) programs and work to give abandoned animals new homes, often taking in animals themselves. KARA members also seek to spread vegetarian/vegan culture.

Despite Korea’s growth and prosperity, the protection of animals has been left to only a few individuals and dedicated groups like KARA fighting a lonely battle. Tactics used in other developed countries to promote animal rights or progress animal welfare are being used, but some actions have never been tried and would bring dire consequences from a government whose main concern is economic prosperity. Entry and exposure of a battery hen facility’s cruelties, for example, would be greeted with incomprehension and hostility. Nonetheless, KARA has been able to do such things as hold street rallies, take out advertisements and work with international groups to highlight animal rights issues.

Like other animal welfare groups the world over, KARA struggles with limited resources. As a volunteer organization it relies almost entirely on donations and the efforts of dedicated individuals. Most of these people work fulltime and that invariably impacts on manpower, especially during business hours, which in Korea can extend to late at night. KARA thus contends as best it can with frustratingly limited financial and human resources. Fortunately, the Internet provides an invaluable low-cost communications medium with tremendous broadcasting power.

In recent centuries, we have seen advances in human society, from the emancipation of slaves to the emancipation of women. The new frontier is the emancipation of animals and putting an end speciesism. Around the world the trend is leaning towards recognizing the rights and in some cases the personhood of animals. In hundred years or more from now, people will look back on this age as we now look back on the era of slavery, and they will wonder why it was so hard to effect in this era, when the sentience and intelligence of animals is so obvious to anyone who bothers to look.

KARA will not stop until animals in Korea have the rights they deserve. We at KARA urge everyone to work towards protecting life, spreading the value of the harmonious and responsible coexistence of human and animals in all societies, and achieving the ultimate goal of eliminating cruelty to animals from the world.

If you have any queries at all about KARA, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thank you from everyone at KARA.