Join our mailing list to receive action alerts and campaign updates!
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 a non-profit organization founded by Kyenan Kum in 1997 to promote animal protection and humane education in Korea. Since its inception Kyenan has worked tirelessly, campaigning worldwide to educate the international community about the difficult conditions for dogs and cats in Korea. A major victory for IAKA came in 2007 with the revision and strengthening of Korea’s 1991 Animal Protection law, which IAKA had long campaigned and petitioned to improve.
KAPES was founded in late 2007 by Kyenan Kum and Haesun Park as a response to the newly strengthened Animal Protection law. The two activists realized that with stronger legal protections in place, direct protest of the government and of the meat trade would be less productive than eliminating the demand for dog and cat meat altogether, through hands-on education. The construction of a new Adoption and Education Center in Seoul, capital city of South Korea, is the first step towards teaching young Koreans about the humane treatment of animals and instilling them with a deep compassion for dogs and cats. With the new Animal Protection law in place, IAKA/KAPES seeks to work in partnership with the government to successfully affect positive change in Korean society. The time is finally right to eliminate the plight of Korea’s dogs and cats.
- 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.
A New Day for Dogs and Cats
IAKA and KAPES work to enforce the new Korean Animal Protection Law
For Korea and for IAKA, this is a time of immense change. On January 1, 2008, 
the new Animal Protection Law which we had worked so hard to pass went into effect, right around the time of the hard-won registration of our sister organization, KAPES. The law will ultimately have an enormous impact on the lives of dogs and cats in Korea, but currently we are seeing only the beginnings of a very complex process of cultural transformation. Making sure the law is understood and enforced has become a major priority for IAKA and KAPES.
Enforcement of the new Animal Protection Law is primarily a matter of education. Recently the Minister of Forests and Agriculture in Korea published 150,000 brochures detailing the provisions of the law, and distributed them to governmental agencies and various animal-related organizations around the country. However, while these initial steps are useful, the concept of legal enforcement of the humane treatment of animals is still very much in an embryonic stage in Korea. The first-ever Animal Protection Law (a skeletal, incomplete document, and un-enforced) was passed less than two decades ago, in 1991. Haesun Park, co-founder and director of KAPES, has been delivering public lectures and presentations to police departments and local officials in her hometown of Seoul. Although the law does not clearly define the legality of dog and cat meat consumption, if enforced properly it will quickly lead to a reduction in the size and popularity of dog and cat meat markets.
Meanwhile, we are continuing to plan for our Seoul Adoption and Education Center. The Center will help alleviate the problems Korea currently faces in regards to stray animals, particularly dogs and cats. Many strays face a tragic end: cramped into the horrific wire cages of the meat markets, doomed to a painful life and a brutal death. Individual animal lovers in Korea have long been aware of this and have worked their hardest to shelter strays. Unfortunately, these makeshift shelters often end up in deplorable conditions because of a lack of experience, no knowledge of good animal shelter policies, and insufficient funds. Meanwhile, the new Animal Protection Law requires the government to take on the responsibility of sheltering animals. The Gyeonggi province is the first to comply with the new requirements, allocating $3 million to the construction of their very first shelter. However, this is just the first of Korea’s fifteen provinces and “special cities” to comply. Many other provincial governments have been attempting to contract the work to registered shelters and licensed veterinarians, whose conditions are also often inadequate. It is an important part of our work to help guide, assist, and improve these shelters. Without them, many dogs and cats would end up in the meat markets.
Animal shelters alone are not enough, of course. As the pet population of Korea booms, the pet owner population must be informed on how to properly care for their animals. A reduction in strays will also occur when pet owners learn to adopt animals rather than buy them from pet stores (many of which are also in poor conditions). The problem of pet abandonment must also be addressed.
Though change is often a complex, difficult, and time-consuming process, we are starting to see the very tangible results of our work in Korea. With your help, our efforts will continue until all animals in Korea face a bright, humane future.
Thank you again for your support!
Sincerely,
Kyenan Kum, Founder, IAKA