KOREA WAVE, Sept. 06, 2012] The governor of Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, received a report from an animal protection group on September 1 that a mother dog was being abused by breaking open her stomach and taking out her puppies. The governor issued an emergency order and took protective measures, rescuing 1,410 dogs from a dog breeding farm in Hwaseong City’s Battan-myeon. The report from the animal group was sent to the governor via SNS. The report stated, “There was animal abuse, such as breaking open the belly of a mother dog to take out her pups, and the bodies of euthanized or dead puppies were kept in a freezer and buried in a hill behind the farm.” The rescued dogs were transferred to a shelter in Gyeonggi Province. Although this facility has not yet opened, the governor states that “all available resources have been invested to prepare to welcome the precious life” (governor). Although this breeding ground has been reported to the local government, it was confirmed that there were suspicions of violations of the Animal Protection Law, including abusive behavior. The governor, together with an animal protection organization, confirmed the owner’s willingness to relinquish ownership of the dogs, and took in all 1,410 dogs.
