Guide to Working with Save Korean Dogs Summer Campaign in Seoul

Beautiful view of Seoul and the surrounding mountains.

What can I expect of the trip?
You will be a real traveler- not a tourist. You will really participate in the country and with its people and see and do things that tourists would never normally do, and see the country and its people in a really different way.
You'll meet amazing people- wonderful Koreans who love animals and want to end suffering- Nami Kim, Jenny Kim, vets, politicians, dog groomers and dog walkers who go to the shelter to help, and members of the public who come up to you to say thank you. You'll also meet fellow traveling activists like yourself who you will make lifelong bonds with- I met Marc Ching, Leonard Coyne from Soidog, Alexandra, Anri, Ahsan and Lucia. And of course you will meet all the amazing dogs with incredible personalities and tales to tell. And next year we hope to meet YOU!

Ahsan, Anri and me with our best mascot, Milky.

Dog groomers, vet, vet nurse, Jenny Kim, Nami Kim, dogs Hannah and General, and me all working together

Lucia, me, Marc Ching and Nami Kim eating at a Buddhist Temple

When do you need people?
Boknal is the main dog eating time of the year. It is 3 dates based on the lunar calendar and these are from mid July until August. It is good to have people raising awareness before Boknal starts too. So if you can come anytime between July 1st and mid August it would be ideal.

What work did you do while in Korea?
We held placards and stood outside government buildings and at other important places (so far we have done National Assembly and City Hall. Some Korean people stood outside TV news stations). We stand at a time to catch the attention of lunch time people and then people going home so the hours we stand are 11.30 til 2 and then 4.30 til 7. This is what we did in 2016 but plans change. If you come you will need to be flexible with times you are able to work as sometimes new ideas and changes of plans will arise.

We visited the dog rescue shelter and that was wonderful. We walked the dogs and helped to socialise them. (Please check with me or Save Korean Dogs team before planning your trip on the possibility of visiting the shelter). It costs about £35/ $45USD in a taxi to get to the shelter.

Alexandra and I outside the National Assembly

Lucia spending time with some of the puppies at the shelter.

Meeting with a supportive politician

What kind of people would you like to come to Korea to help?
We would like people of all nationalities from all different countries to come and help. The media so far have been very intrigued by the fact that people travelled from USA, UK, Japan and Canada to come to Korea just for the dogs. The more countries we can represent the more interest we can gain.

We would like people who can focus on the dogs for this campaign. If we are approached by public or media it is not the time to start talking about other causes. We have to keep our audience's attention focused on the dogs and the dog meat trade. People probably will ask you what other charity work you do or other causes you support and of course you can answer this truthfully and it often helps our case to do so, but don't initiate this discussion.

People who can travel independently and be confident. The charity probably won't be able to collect you from the airport or show you around the subway system and things like that. One of us 'old pros' will try our hardest to help you and show you around and give you guidance but at times you may have to be willing to get lost in Seoul on your own for an hour or so- it's character building!

The weather is very hot and humid or sometimes it monsoons. You have to be strong and have good stamina to stand in the one spot for fairly long periods of time.

If you come you will need to be flexible with times you are able to work as sometimes new ideas and changes of plans will arise.

You will have to answer the same questions over and over again. Be patient with this.

We want level-headed people who are very polite and who won't create arguments, even if you are being taunted by a dog meat eater or someone who is angry with you for daring to come to their country to 'tell them what to do'.
We want to show how we are there to support Korean activists and Korean animal lovers. We are not traveling to Seoul and Korea to tell Koreans how they are doing things wrong.
We want you to show your love of Korea and the Korean people.

Is it expensive to travel to Korea?
Korea uses the South Korean Won currency.
Some Asian countries are super cheap once you get there but unfortunately Korea isn't one of these countries. I come from UK and costs seem to be on a par with us and other western European countries, so probably the same for USA and Canada too.
Once you arrive you will need money for food, accommodation and travel (there is a very good public transport system in Seoul, buses and underground trains. Taxis are fairly cheap too. You will also need to cover costs of travel to and from the airport).
Accommodation- costs vary from a very cheap shared dorm room up to deluxe hotels.
You should ideally fly to either Seoul Incheon or Gimpo airports. Flights to Korea can vary hugely in price. Best to look up a flight comparison site but don't look at the first prices they flash up on the screen. They show very cheap ones just to lure you on to their site. Type in exact dates and see what prices they give you and how long they take. I was looking at flights that were charging £500 more to give me a flight that was 24 hours longer! Do your homework and shop around. My flight cost almost £500 in 2015 but then I couldn't get one for cheaper than £680 in 2016. I don't know why the cost went up so much in one year.

The dog shelter is far from the centre of Seoul and it cost about 35,000 Won in a taxi to get there.

Last year it cost me about £1200 to go to Seoul, living frugally ($1600USD/ 1400 Euro at exchange rate on date of this blog). It cost me £200 more this year because of difference in flights. This sum covered my flight, travel in Korea, food, accommodation, everything.

Bukchon traditional guest house. Quite an experience.

Where should I stay?
Accommodation-  If a few of us are going and we are all on a tight budget we can liaise beforehand and maybe share an apartment or try to get rooms in the same hostel/ hotel. We will want to stay somewhere fairly central as that is where we will be working. But for those of you who know big cities, 'central' can mean several miles wide. Depending on where we are staying and where we are working that day, we sometimes have to give ourselves an hour's travel to get there.
A lot of people have asked me how much it costs for accommodation- but this depends on what you want- hostels can start from as cheap as £7 a night but I think these are a bit grubby but still it is a place to lay your head. You know what you want so you should look it up- do you want en suite? kingsize bed? room with a view? meals?- I don't know your requirements so it's best to look these up yourself on hotel comparison sites.
If you are vegan/ veggy I would suggest staying in or near Insadong. There are quite a few restaurants there you can visit.
If you want a taste of traditional Korea, there is Bukchon guest house which is like a traditional Korean home, centred around a court yard. It is in Bukchon Hanok Village which is very pretty. This is also in Insadong.
Or for another Korean experience look up a Love Hotel. Many young Koreans live with parents after they are married so they go to these places to get away for a romantic night. I'm tlod they are quite nice (but I think they may be for couples only)

Is it safe?
I felt very safe in Seoul even when traveling on my own and i have heard other people say this too. The people are very polite and helpful.
Seoul has a fairly low crime rate compared to other cities of its size.

Is it easy for vegetarians and vegans to eat?
It's not too difficult if you plan in advance.
There are a few Loving Hut cafes and restaurants. These are found worldwide and like to spread the word of the Supreme Master. They have a great choice and variety in different restaurants, including some great vegan bakeries.
Some Buddhist Temples serve temple food- all vegan and traditionally Korean. A great way to experience the culture.
You can also find the usual Italian with the usual spaghetti Neapolitan, for example.
Soya milk hasn't taken off in the likes of coffee chain cafes yet.
You can do a Google search for Seoul vegan or Seoul vegetarian and you will find sites recommending lots of good places to go. Happy Cow is a good app to use.
Looking for food in shops can be hard as most labels contain nothing with Roman alphabet ingredients on them. I played super safe with fruit, cereal and rice when I was buying from shops but I'm sure some websites would be able to give us some advice where we can be more adventurous next time.

Me being a very happy piglet with my vegan bakery and drinks haul at Bread Blue, part of the Loving Hut chain

Temple food for one person. Such a cultural treat!

A typical Korean breakfast (vegan/ veggy version)

What clothes should I wear?
We ask you not to wear clothes with logos of other charities on them. It's confusing to any prospective audience and we want them to focus on the dogs. And best not to wear clothes with big pictures anyway as these also are a bit confusing to the meaning of our cause. (I cringe now when I see pictures when I wore my Bruce Lee T-shirt to the Korean government building- what was I thinking?)

Seoul is a very modern city and people wear what they like but I would say to not wear things that show cleavage, nipples or bras. You don't see that kind of thing there.
Ladies, because you are wearing a placard, sometimes only your shoulders will be on show. If you wear a shoulder-less dress it can end up looking like you are naked behind the placard! So best to keep the bustiers at home.

It will be very hot so take clothes to suit the heat. A raincoat and umbrella is good too. Comfy shoes that you can stand in for long periods of time.

What are Korean people like? Can they speak English?
Korean people are generally very nice and polite and sweet. They can be quite shy about using their English skills in front of foreigners but you can often find someone who has a level of English that will at least get you out of a hole (although sometimes you may have to be willing to ask 10 strangers for help before 1 can speak English).

What other activities are there to do in Seoul?
Seoul doesn't really have lots of specific tourist things to do but it is a really nice place to hang out.

Tea House

There are a few sight-seeing things you may want to do. The palace is very cheap, Buddhist temples are free to visit, bus tours of the city, art galleries etc. Parts of town are just nice to wander around in- like Gangnam and Insadong. Loads of shopping areas. Lots of nice bars. You should visit a few tea houses- I love them. I visited Southgate market which was great- tons of stalls all crammed together with loads of great stuff to wear and for your house, at good prices.
Lots of cat cafes and dog cafes- the kinds we like!! Where people go to sit in a cafe while pet dogs and cats scamper around and have fun- incredibly cute!

A very happy customer at one of the many cat and dog cafes in Seoul

If you have any more questions then please comment below and I will strive to answer them.

Love from Madeline XXX

Response to Criticisms about Dog Meat Activism

In the summer of 2015 and 2016 I traveled to Seoul in South Korea to campaign against the dog meat trade. I gained some criticism from both Koreans and non-Koreans. I hope to address some of these issues here.

1. Eating dog is culture. How dare you criticise other people's culture.

I do not think that all culture should be seen as untouchable, virtuous traditions that bring richness to its people and so is above criticism. Culture is not always a good thing. Other examples of culture are child marriage, Chinese foot binding, female genital mutilation, homophobia, the caste system, human sacrifice, wife beating, racism, slavery, punishing suspected witches, killing albinos to make medicine, and so on. These are obviously not acceptable forms of culture. They should be criticised and abolished and if the people within the culture are not going to do this then other people need to step in and do so, in a helpful and respectful way. Korea has many other cultural practices which can be cherished- national costume, dance, martial arts, K-pop, great films- they don't need to rely on eating dog to give them a sense of identity.
Dog-eating Koreans are not respecting their own culture when they eat dog. One of the main breeds of dogs to be farmed and eaten is the Jindo, supposedly one of Korea's national treasures.

2. You are being racist. You are enforcing cultural imperialism/ colonial imperialism on another country/ group of people.

I love Korea and Korean people. It is a wonderful country where the people are very warm, friendly and polite. I feel very safe there. I am not going to Korea as a white, British woman to tell them what to do because I think that I am better than them. I am going to Korea to support Koreans- most Koreans are against the dog meat trade and are very upset and embarrassed by this practice (a report in July 2016 said that 27% supported the dog meat trade which leaves a majority of 73% who are against it). I do not think that British people and Britain are above criticism- far from it. Because of this I also campaign in my own country against injustices. If people want to come to my country and help me campaign against these things, then please do! I would love them to. I would not be offended at all if they were trying to raise awareness and stop cruelty happening in the UK.
Every nationality and race have something good to give to the world and we can all learn from each other to make the world a kinder and better place. Equally, every nationality and race have done or continue to do things which are considered shameful by others and we need to accept criticism on a national level (yes, I know how hard this is to do).
I don't think it is just Koreans, or Asians who eat dog. I have seen plenty of pictures of Westerners eating dog while holidaying- thinking that they are being very daring and funny to do so. I am equally against those people.

3. What about cows and pigs and all the other animals killed for food? Why are you only fighting for the dogs?

Personally, I don't eat any animals. I would love to see a world where humans did not eat animals but I know this is an unrealistic wish at the present time.
I campaign particularly for dogs because of the way they are killed. They are beaten and tortured to death in the belief that this will tenderise the meat, make it taste better and increase its medicinal properties.
Dogs help humans in so many ways- service dogs for the blind, deaf and autistic, search and rescue, drug detection, detecting diseases such as cancer, in the military, guard dogs, sheep dogs, etc. They serve us in so many ways. Dogs adore humans- it seems a particular betrayal to punish their species by eating them.
Often the first step to people becoming aware of animals' intelligence and sentience is from being close to an animal and this is often a dog. If a nation cannot be kind to dogs then the other animals have no hope of being treated well. I think dogs are a good place to start when trying to get people to love and care for all animals.

4. If the trade was legalised it would make conditions for the dogs much better. Why are you against this?

I just don't think dogs should be eaten. I think it is inhumane to consider that every species of animal on the planet is eligible to be on our plates. For people to be civilised there has to be a line drawn somewhere of which species it is absolutely not acceptable to kill and eat. Is it acceptable to eat gorillas, orangutans, elephants, birds of paradise, tigers, etc? I don't think it is and I think dogs, with their human-loving and serving capacities as mentioned earlier, should be in this taboo list too.

Ideally, I want to see dog-eating outlawed. It takes such a long time for governments to pass laws. If we started today to implement better conditions for farmed dogs it would take a few years to pass these laws.  I would rather ask the government to spend their time and efforts in outlawing the practice.


5. What about humans? You should be trying to help humans as they are more important than animals.

Even if you only care about humans and don't care about animals at all, you should still fight against cruelty to animals. Studies show that individuals who are violent to animals often go on to be violent to humans. It is dangerous for a society to ignore animal cruelty.
Eating dogs is detrimental to human health. The World Health Organisation published a study in to the practice. Humans can catch E. coli, Cholera, Trichinellosis, Rabies (this is not so much of a problem in rabies-free Korea) and other diseases from eating dog. The dog meat trade increases antibiotic resistance- one of the major concerns to human health today. There are also environmental violations surrounding dog farms, markets and slaughter houses.
People are wasting their money when they think that they will gain health benefits from eating dog. There is no scientific proof that says dog meat is good for health. In Korea it is considered to be cooling to eat dog but in China and Vietnam it is considered to be warming which suggests that the perceived effects are all in the mind. Dog meat is also supposed to be good for stamina and virility but again there is no proof of this.
If you care about Korean people, then they need to know how the dog meat trade is affecting their country's image and reputation. Whenever a Westerner mentions they will be visiting Korea, the first response they will inevitably be met with is "They eat dog there! Make sure you don't eat dog". This is not the reputation that Korea wants. It is harmful to international relations and tourism. And it is sad because the majority of Koreans do not indulge in this practice and it is a wonderful place to visit.

I do care about humans and I care for Korean humans too. I have been made aware of many causes some of its citizens are fighting. Some problems I have taken a particular interest in are:
- The Sewol ferry disaster happened in 2014 but it still has many unrecovered victims still in the boat under the water and no-one has taken responsibility. There is a huge protest about this at City Hall in Seoul and we made friends with some of these protestors.
- The construction of a US military base on Jeju Island, which was previously awarded with being a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- The failure of the Japanese government to acknowledge, apologise for and compensate the Korean 'Comfort Women' used as sexual slaves during their colonisation of Korea.

6. Korea is not a dog-eating country. You are making Korea look bad and this is not fair and a lie.

A substantial amount of Koreans eat dog or have eaten dog (27% according to a recent Korean report). Many Koreans own pet dogs and love them but they still see a difference between pet dogs and meat dogs- one has rights and deserves love and respect, and the other should have no rights and deserves to be killed for food. We can debate over the nuance of language  but I would still say this makes it a dog-eating country.

7. No-one in Korea eats dogs. They used to but don't do it any more. The pictures you are showing are from China or other countries. You are making Korea look bad and this is not fair and a lie.

Many Korean people do eat dogs. I have visited the dog meat farms, the markets where you can buy live dogs and dog meat, and the restaurants (there are 329 restaurants in Seoul alone). It is easy for you to find these places and see for yourself that I am not lying. Korean media have reported on these places- are they also lying? I have been told by enough Koreans that they eat dog and they find it very tasty and will not stop doing so. I can introduce you to these people. I actually appreciate that you are annoyed at me for publicising Korean dog eating as it shows that you are as offended about it as I am.