Nation’s image tied to treatment of dogs
2010-09-08 18:52
To Park Sang-woo, there are many reasons to cherish dogs. And the agro-economics expert outright asserts that it’s “absolutely not” for dog meat cuisine, whose consumption could be traced down to ancient Rome.
“I don’t eat dog meat, and I think it’s not right to eat it,” Park said in an interview with The Korea Herald.
This statement may sound controversial coming from a figure with a doctorate degree in agricultural economics and about three decades of experience in the field that began in 1966 with a position at an Agriculture Ministry affiliate office in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and eventually included a post as Vice Minister of Agriculture in 1994.
But as the current president of the Korea Kennel Federation, making such assertion would be naturally adequate and “politically correct.” When his position as Vice Minister of Agriculture wrapped up in 1995, he soon became president of the Korea Rural Economic Institute, a role he had until 1999. From then, he taught agro-economics at Kyunghee University and Chonbuk National University, while he simultaneously acted as an outside director for the Korea Agro-Fisheries Trade Corporation from 2001 to 2004.
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| Park Sang-woo, President of Korea Kennel Federation. (Lee Sang-sup/The Korea Herald) |
Having reached retirement age, he was approached in 2005 to take on the president role of the Korea Kennel Federation -- a non-paid volunteer-type position for the non-profit organization.
“I’m not an expert in this area, but I accepted the offer because it was a chance for me to give back to our society and country,” Park told The Korea Herald at the federation’s headquarters in Seoul’s Dongdae-mun area.
Activities of the KKF began in 1948 but didn’t receive government approval until 1956. Since then, the dog lobbying group has been struggling to exert social influence and raise public awareness of an “appropriate” dog rearing culture and grooming standards. According to the KKF, demand for dogs as pets has begun to steadily grow coming into the 2000s.
“We give our affection and love to dogs; they’re part of the family and are smart companions that reciprocate our emotions,” Park said. “Our society needs to be more aware of what raising a dog and having them as a pet means,” he stressed, as he compared Korea’s dog-rearing status withthat of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Park noted that the economic status of a nation reflects the conditions and levels of pet rearing. Korea's rapidly developing economy giving rise to more disposable income, along with a growing single-status and aging population have been helping to fuel interest in owning pets.
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| Dog owners show off their talented and highly groomed canine companions at the og Show held on Aug 29. in Seoul. (Korea Kennel Federation) |
The 71-year-old said his enthusiasm and efforts have helped to give the KKF global recognition from countries whose kennel clubs boast a long history and have established prestige, such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
“Our country got international recognition for the first time in 2007, as it formed a working partnership with the American Kennel Club,” he said. “This agreement raised the status of our federation, which made all our members happy.”
The KKF, which has only 12 employees, including Park, has about 30,000 members.
The bureaucrat-turned-entrepreneur said that one of his goals during his tenure is to change Korea’s negative reputation as a “dog-eating” nation to a “dog-loving” one.
“We give our affection and love to dogs; they’re a family member and are smart companions that reciprocate our emotions,” he added. “Dogs save human lives, help the deaf and blind and also act as protector by detecting harmful materials like drugs.”
The KFC may be challenged with limited funds, but Park’s vision for 2012 is to have advanced Korea’s pet-raising culture with a global-level pet industry having taken firm root.
“Our federation needs to take on more diverse activities and help promote the pet service industry, which means giving more incentives to pet owners, trainers and other industry players,” Park said.
By Yoo Soh-jung (sohjung@heraldm.com)