Welcome to the official site of International Aid for Korean Animals.
Welcome to the official website for International Aid for Korean Animals (IAKA). IAKA is an organization dedicated to promoting animal welfare protection in Korea through education, stricter animal cruelty laws and the continued development of the shelters and humane education centers in Korea.
We are Koreans who have been working for over 15 years on behalf of Korean animals by upholding Korea's true values and traditions to create a more compassionate and just society. The plight of companion animals in South Korea (dogs and cats) is an especially urgent and neglected cause that we have chosen to focus most of our energies upon these past decades. We strongly feel that the protection of companion animals in South Korea is an important foundation for the protection and welfare of all animals. That is why IAKA has been committed to ending the dog and cat meat trade, teaching compassion towards animals, and enforcing strong animal protection laws in Korea.
- IAKA US - We are registered as 501(c)3 status organization # 94-3255699 in the U.S. More information.
- IAKA UK - We are registered as charity # 1115187 in the U.K. More information.
- KAPES - We are registered as a foundation in South Korea. More information.
KAPES Receives stamp of approval
A new focus on education
The Korea Animal Protection and Education Society (KAPES) is an organization of ours that received permission to operate in South Korea from the Ministry of Agriculture on January 21, 2008. The application process has been unbelieveably long and arduous. Out of countless animal protection organizations that have applied for the right to operate in Korea, KAPES is only the third one given permission.
KAPES marks a shift in IAKA’s primary focus and fundraising efforts towards humane education within South Korea. The mission of KAPES will be to promote a deep compassion, appreciation and understanding of animals by changing the Korean public’s attitudes and values.
I understand humane education as being primarily a hands-on process. Educational materials such as pamphlets and videos play an important role, but passive listening will not make the same impact as active learning. Although we will begin our Education Campaign much more humbly, a major goal of ours is the construction of an Adoption and Education Center in or near Seoul. The Center will provide a comfortable, clean and safe environment in which to learn about pet care, spay and neuter, pet behavioral problems, and the cruelty linked to the dog and cat meat trade. Aside from the immediate goal of connecting revived strays with caring and prepared households, the Center will generally strive to elevate the status of dogs and cats to companion animals, and to decrease the demand for dog and cat meat.
The strategy is different from that which guided my actions over the last seventeen years. Although campaigning and protesting the South Korean government has resulted in a certain level of success, of which the overhaul of the Animal Protection Law is a shining example, it does not get at the root of the problem. The supply of dog and cat meat will continue as long as the demand exists. Only when perceptions of other species change will the illegal meat markets and the horrific animal cruelty vanish.
In this new stage of its development, IAKA/KAPES seeks to work in partnership with the government to successfully affect positive change in the Korean public. The newly elected president of Korea and his advsors have expressed support for our ideals, so the time is finally right to eliminate the plight of Korea’s dogs and cats.
Thank you all for your unwavering support!
Kyenan Kum, IAKA & KAPES Founder