posted by ADMIN MARCH 12,2015 in ACTION ALERT, CAMPAIGN
Busan Gupo Market. Photo: Busan KAPCA.
The Busan Bukbu(Bukbu means Northern) Office of Education sent official correspondence to both the Busan Bukgu (Bukgu means Northern District) District office and the Busan Bukbu Police on April 28th, 2014 demanding that the Busan Gupo Livestock Market (also known as the Gupo Dog Meat Market) be relocated for being in violation of the School Health Act (http://koreandogs.org/dispute-over-the-gupo-livestock-markets-violation-of-the-school-health-act/).
The Busan Korea Alliance For the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also filed numerous civil complaints regarding the violation of the School Health Act and various other laws by the Gupo Dog Meat Market.
In their response issued in October 2014 (http://koreandogs.org/busan-buk-gu-district-response/), the Busan Bukgu District Office stated that the Gupo Dog Meat Market is not subject to Article 6, Paragraph 1, Subparagraphs 1, 5, 7, 8, and 11 of the School Health Act and therefore no administrative action or removal was required. No comment was issued as to why the District Office deemed those provisions of the School Health Act not to be applicable.
In response to the Busan Bukgu District’s disregard for the law, in December 2014 we launched a campaign of letter writing directed towards the Korean Minister of Education and Minister of Health & Welfare. We requested statements on their official position regarding the actions of the Busan Bukgu District Office with regard to the Gupo Dog Meat Market.
However, a response dated January 1, 2015 came not from the offices of the Ministers of Education or Health & Welfare, but from the Busan Bukbu Office of Education, and was almost identical to theresponse of the Busan Bukgu District Office.
Below is the translation of the response received from the Busan Bukbu Office of Education:
Busan Metropolitan City Bukbu Office of Education
To: Koreandogs.org (PO Box 60191, Sunnyvale, CA 94088, USA
(Via)
Regarding: Response to your petition through e-People(www.epeople.go.kr)
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
Following is our response to your petition through e-People.
1. Thank you for your interest in the school educational environment.
2. Please note that each of the provisions of the School Health Act‘ Article 6 does not apply to the dog meat market inside the Gupo Market (Businesses that are not applicable to School Health Act) and therefore it is not subject to administrative action or removal.
The End.
Why did the Busan Bukbu Office of Education contradict their initial demand that the Busan Gupo Dog Meat Market be relocated for violating the School Health Act? Was there pressure from the Ministries of Education and Health & Welfare, or a governmental agency with more power and authority? Did they give in to demands of the local government trying to protect the interests of the Gupo dog meat butchers?
Regardless of the reason, their change in position demonstrates an outrageous contempt for the health of the Dugchun Elementary School children who have to walk past the meat market on their way to school every day and witness the horrendous cruelty perpetrated there. The unconscionable indifference and neglect of duty displayed by the Busan Bukbu Office of Education not only places these children in harm’s way, it is also responsible for the unimaginable torture and brutal slaughter of the dogs at the meat market.
We insist that we be given a clear explanation by the Busan Bukbu Office of Education as to what made them change their position and by what means they concluded that the provisions of the School Health Act‘s Article 6 do not apply to the Gupo Dog Meat Market.
We will begin a new letter writing campaign today to Superintendent Gwon Eung Hwan of the Busan Bukbu Office of Education requesting his official response. This issue is too important and urgent to allow him to ignore it.
Please write to the Superintendent Gwon Eung Hwan of the Busan Bukbu Office of Education!
Mailing address:
Superintendent Gwon Eung Hwan
Busan Bukbu Office of Education
Baekyangdae-ro 1016 Daegil
Buk-gu, Busan, Postal code 616-807
South Korea
Mailing address in Korean:
권응환 교육장님
부산광역시 북부교육지원청
우편번호 616-807 부산광역시 북구 백양대로1016번다길 44 (구포동)
South Korea
Email Addresses of South Korean Embassies and Consulate General’s offices:
koemal@mofat.go.kr; korembassy_angola@mofat.go.kr; australia@mofa.go.kr; consyd@mofa.go.kr; conmel@mofa.go.kr; australia@mofa.go.kr; consyd@mofa.go.kr; conmel@mofa.go.kr; australia@mofa.go.kr; consyd@mofa.go.kr; conmel@mofa.go.kr; mail@koreaemb.at; azeremb@mofa.go.kr; embdhaka@mofa.go.kr; belemb@mofat.go.kr; embassykorea@yandex.ru; coreabolivia@gmail.com; emb-br@mofat.go.kr; brunei@mofa.go.kr; korean-embassy@mofat.go.kr; cambodia@mofa.go.kr; vancon@mofa.go.kr; montreal@mofa.go.kr; canada@mofat.go.kr; toronto@mofa.go.kr; embajadadecoreaenchile@gmail.com; guangzhou@mofat.go.kr; shanghai@mofat.go.kr; xian@mofat.go.kr; xiancon@mofat.go.kr; chinawebmaster@mofat.go.kr; chinaconsul@mofat.go.kr; qdconsul@mofat.go.kr; embacorea@mofat.go.kr; amb-congo@mofat.go.kr; koco@mofat.go.kr; ambcoabj@mofat.go.kr; secretariat_ambcoabj@yahoo.fr; croatia@mofa.go.kr; czech@mofat.go.kr; korembdk@mofa.go.kr; embcod@mofat.go.kr; ecuador@mofa.go.kr; egypt@mofat.go.kr; embcorea@mofat.go.kr; skorea.emb@ethionet.et; korembfj@mofa.go.kr; korembfi@mofa.go.kr; kor.oecd1@mofa.go.kr; con-fr@mofat.go.kr; gabon-ambcoree@mofa.go.kr; koremb-ge@mofat.go.kr; bonninfo@koreabn.de; gkhamburg@mofat.go.kr; ghana@mofa.go.kr; gremb@mofat.go.kr; korembsy@mofat.go.kr; coreaembajada@mofa.go.kr; hungary@mofat.go.kr; mumbai@mofat.go.kr; koremb_in@mofat.go.kr; emb-ir@mofat.go.kr; kembiraq@mofat.go.kr; irekoremb@mofat.go.kr; israel@mofat.go.kr; consul-it@mofat.go.kr; milano@mofat.go.kr; jamaica@mofat.go.kr; sendai@mofat.go.kr; kobe@mofa.go.kr; jordan@mofat.go.kr; koreaemb-kz@mofat.go.kr; emb-ke@mofat.go.kr; koreanembassy.bahrain@gmail.com; koreanemb.kg@gmail.com; korea.kg@gmail.com; laos@mofa.go.kr; yskim55@mofat.go.kr; libya@mofat.go.kr; korem-my@mofat.go.kr; embcoreamx@mofat.go.kr; kormg@mofat.go.kr; morocco@mofat.go.kr; info@koreanembassy.org.nz; auckland@mofa.go.kr; nicaragua@mofat.go.kr; emb-ng@mofa.go.kr; koremb_lagos@mofat.go.kr; emboman@mofat.go.kr; shenyang@mofat.go.kr; wuhan@mofat.go.kr; karachi@mofa.go.kr; pakistan@mofat.go.kr; embpng@mofat.go.kr; paraguay@mofat.go.kr; peru@mofa.go.kr; philippines@mofa.go.kr; embpt@mofat.go.kr; Koemb_qa@mofa.go.kr; tjkorem@mofat.go.kr; embru@mofat.go.kr; korvl@mofa.go.kr; korpb@mofa.go.kr; irkutsk@mofa.go.kr; koremb-rwanda@hotmail.com; emsau@mofat.go.kr; jeddah@mofa.go.kr; senegal@mofat.go.kr; koreaemb.rs@mofa.go.kr; info@koreaembassy.org.sg; info@rokembassy.sk; embsa@mofa.go.kr; embspain.adm@mofat.go.kr; korembsl@mofat.go.kr; sudan@mofat.go.kr; swiss@mofat.go.kr; embassy-tz@mofa.go.kr; koembth@gmail.com; tunisie@mofa.go.kr; istanbul@mofat.go.kr; turkey@mofat.go.kr; korembtm@mofat.go.kr; consularsf@mofa.go.kr; korea@un.int; kcgboston@mofa.go.kr; info@koreanconsulate.org; consul-la@mofa.go.kr; consular_usa@mofa.go.kr; seattle0404@mofa.go.kr; koreaconsulate@gmail.com; consulatehi@mofa.go.kr; uae@mofat.go.kr; koremb@mofat.go.kr; myanmar@mofat.go.kr; dubai@mofa.go.kr; koreanembinuk@mofat.go.kr; koemur@gmail.com; venezuela@mofat.go.kr; korembviet@mofat.go.kr; yemen@mofa.go.kr; admirok@zol.co.zw;
Superintendent Gwon Eung Hwan
Busan Bukbu Office of Education
Baekyangdae-ro, 1016 bundagil 44(Gupo-dong) Buk-gu, Busan, Postal Code 616-807, South Korea
Dear Superintendent Gwon Eung Hwan,
On April 28, 2014, your office sent official correspondence to the Busan Bukgu District office and the Busan Bukbu Police demanding that the Busan Gupo Livestock Market (also known as the Gupo Dog Meat Market) be relocated for being in violation of the School Health Act. (http://koreandogs.org/dispute-over-the-gupo-livestock-markets-violation-of-the-school-health-act/).
In addition to your office’s official correspondence, the Busan Korea Alliance For The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals filed numerous civil complaints regarding violations of the School Health Act and various other laws by the Gupo Dog Meat Market.
The Busan Bukgu District Office issued their response in October 2014 (http://koreandogs.org/busan-buk-gu-district-response/). It was their opinion that Article 6, Paragraph 1, Subparagraphs 1, 5, 7, 8, and 11 of the School Health Act did not apply to the Gupo Dog Meat Market and that the Gupo Dog Meat Market was not subject to administrative action or removal. No comment was offered as to why those specific provisions of the School Health Act are not applicable despite the fact that, as evidenced by the Busan News article, the Gupo Dog Meat Market is clearly within the boundary of the “School Environment, Hygiene, Cleanup Zone” specified in the School Health Act.
To address this issue, a letter writing campaign was launched directed towards the Korean Ministers of Health & Welfare and Education asking for their official position on this matter. We received instead a response from your office dated January 22, 2015, completely changing your position and stating that, without explanation as to why, Article 6 of the School Health Act is not applicable to the Gupo Dog Meat Market.
We therefore respectfully request that you issue an explanation for the change in your position regarding the Gupo Dog Meat Market and why the provisions of Article 6 of School Health Act are not applicable to the Gupo Dog Meat Market.
The Busan Bukgu District Office is clearly choosing to ignore provisions of the School Health Act and disregard the health of the children attending the Dugchun Elementary School, thereby putting those children at risk. We ask that you consider this issue with utmost consideration, importance, and priority. Please remember that the actions you take today will critically impact the emotional health and wellbeing of tens of thousands of current and future Dugchun Elementary School children and will ultimately forever define your legacy.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
[In Korean]
권응환 교육장님
부산광역시 북부교육지원청
우편번호 616-807 부산광역시 북구 백양대로1016번다길 44 (구포동)
권응환 교육장님 안녕하십니까!
지난 2014년 4월 28일 부산광역시 북부교육지원청은 부산북구청과 부산북부경찰서에 공문을 보내서 구포개시장이라고도 알려진 부산 구포시장이 학교 보건법을 위반하므로 다른 곳으로 이전해달라고 요구한 바 있습니다. (http://koreandogs.org/dispute-over-the-gupo-livestock-markets-violation-of-the-school-health-act/)
이 공문 외에도 부산동물학대방지연합에서 수차례에 걸쳐 구포개시장이 학교 보건법 및 기타 여러 가지 법에 위반된다는 민원을 넣었습니다.
하지만 부산북구청이 2014년 10월에 내놓은 답변은 구포개시장은 학교보건법 제6조 제1항의 1호, 5호, 7호, 8호, 11호에 해당되지 않기 때문에 행정조치 및 철거 명령의 대상이 되지 않는다는 것이었습니다. 부산일보의 기사에서 입증된 바와 같이 구포 개시장은 학교보건법이 구체적으로 명시하는 “학교환경위생정화구역”에 해당되는 것이 명명백백함에도 불구하고, 어떤 근거로 학교보건법 항목들이 적용되지 않는지에 대한 언급은 전혀 없었습니다.
이에 대해 보건복지부 장관과 교육부 장관에게 직접 편지 보내는 캠페인을 진행하여 이 사안에 대한 그분들의 공식 입장을 표명해달라는 요청을 드렸습니다. 하지만 저희는 부산북부교육지원청으로부터 2015년 1월 22일 그간의 입장을 완전히 바꾸어 구포개시장이 학교보건법 제6조에 해당하지 않는다는 내용의 회신을 대신 받았습니다. 역시나 어떤 이유로 해당하지 않는지에 대한 설명은 없었습니다.
따라서 구포개시장 관련 입장 번복에 대한 납득할만한 설명과 구포개시장이 학교보건법 제6조 조항들에 해당되지 않는 이유를 밝혀주시기를 정중하게 요청 드리는 바입니다.
부산 북구청은 학교위생법 조항들을 무시하고 덕천초등학교에 다니는 어린 학생들의 건강을 소홀히 여겨 이 아이들을 위험에 처하도록 방치하는 쪽을 선택한 것 같습니다. 지금 당장 이 사안을 최우선순위로 지정해서 조치를 취해주시기를 간절히 요청 드립니다. 오늘 교육장님의 조치가 현재와 미래의 수많은 덕천초등학교 학생들의 정서 건강과 복지에 중대한 영향을 미치게 된다는 점과 더 나아가서는 북부교육지원청의 족적으로 영원히 남는다는 점을 꼭 기억해주시기 바랍니다.
감사합니다.
Gupo Dog Meat Market.
Live puppies in display to be slaughtered and chopped up upon customer order. Photo: Nami Kim.
Gupo Dog Meat Market.
Dogs already butchered and prepared for cooking.
Photo: Nami Kim.
Gupo Market Dog Meat Trade Association President. Photo: Nami Kim.