Pyeongtaek becomes Oakland’s first South Korean “friendship city”
on October 6, 2017
On Tuesday, Oakland officially became a “friendship city” with Pyeongtaek, South Korea. At a ceremony held at City Hall, the mayors of the two cities signed a memorandum of understanding cementing the relationship.
“Our cities have many things in common. We have beautiful coastline, we have beautiful people, and we have important industries,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf. Both cities also have ports and are close in size: Oakland has around 420,000 people, Pyeongtaek 480,000. “We have many ideas that I know that we can exchange, and that will be mutually beneficial,” the mayor said.
As part of the friendship city arrangement, the two cities are planning exchange programs focused on trade, education, tourism, sports and culture. “We will also cooperate in the areas of trade and logistics, utilizing the cities’ strong port infrastructure,” said Pyeongtaek Mayor Jae-Kwang Kong, speaking in Korean.
Becoming friendship cities is the first stage of an official relationship between two cities in different countries. As the relationship grows, and if both cities want a long-term cooperative relationship, they may become sister cities, according to Sister Cities International.
Pyeongtaek is the first South Korean city that Oakland has formed a friendship relationship with. “I hope that this will become a good beginning for the prosperous relations between the two cities,” said Jimin Kim, the acting consul general of South Korea.
Some Korean-Americans at the ceremony said they are excited about the new friendship. “With the relationship, many cultural delegations from Korea will visit here and perform traditional songs and dances,” said Joanna Kim-Selby, president of the East Bay Korean-American Senior Service Center, speaking in Korean. The 86-year-old immigrated to the United States in 1958. “We feel nostalgia when we watch Korean performances from our former home. Those exchanges can also promote Korean culture in the United States,” she said.
Leewoong Song, the secretary general of the Oakland & East Bay Korean-American Association, said that he hopes that Oakland residents will host South Korean exchange students “and help them to explore the United States at lower cost.”
The ceremony took place on October 3, which is National Foundation Day in South Korea, a celebration of the formation of the first state of Korea in 2333 B.C. The flag of South Korea was hung in front of Oakland City Hall. “This is the first time that we have raised the Korean flag to celebrate the founding day, and I promise you it not will be the last,” said Schaaf.
Around 2,400 people of Korean descent live in Oakland according to the Census Bureau. Schaaf thanked the city’s Korean community “for making our city richer by sharing your culture, your food, your products that you invent—everything you do to make this a great city.”
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Stop this Horror now!!!
it’s awful !!! how the Oakland people can tolerate this horrendous treatment of dogs and cats in S. Korea and more !!! become the friend of them !!!
Dear Sir, please feel empathy for Asian animals that are horrendously tortured,due to false beliefs leading to ignorance and animals are usually boiled, baked alive.
Cristina E. Zois, Greek Ambassador’s wife
It is a shame you want to be friends with a country that kills dogs and cats in the slowest and most horrific ways imaginable.Lets hope that you can use this friendship to convince them that this not an acceptable way to treat animals.
Do you think that Oakland should be a Friendship city to any city that allows dogs and cats to be tortured and eaten? Please urge Pyeongtaek Mayor Jae-Kwang Kong to close down all those illegal dog farms and slaughterhouses, markets, truckers, and restaurants that serve these animal products.
I ask you to please watch the videos of South Korea’s dog meat industry: http://youtu.be/3uR8R8Mu70Q
http://koreandogs.org/horrible-reality-of-meat-dog-farms-you-did-not-know/
http://koreandogs.org/dmp/
http://koreandogs.org/companion-animals-for-consumption/.
Thank you for your attention
Sharing similar values is all very well, so why not show our love for animals? This is an excellent opportunity for someone in a position of authority to do this. Thousands of ordinary people like me have spoken up, with the backing of a mayor this should go further to stopping this.
Disgusting!! Obviously the city of Oakland is clueless. Make an impact for these animals and refuse friendship until there is no more torturing, killing and eating of dogs and cats in S. Korea, and everywhere. This is so disappointing and infuriating. Shame on you Oakland!
Oakland should not be a Friendship city to any city that allows dogs and cats to be tortured and eaten. Shame on you!!!
Jörg Gaiser
Baiersbronn
Germany
DISGUSTING!
Please speak out against the horrific dog meat farms in South Korea. It is not okay to treat dogs in such a terrible manner and then to eat them. Please use your friendship with South Korea to help them see the errors of their ways.
Oakland, please do the right thing and “unfriend” Pyeongtaek as a sister city. Speak out against the hideous practice of farming, torturing, slaughtering and eating dogs and cats. The vast majority of your constituents, if they saw the videos of this cruelty against our “best friends” would not want to be a sister city to Pyeongtaek. Thank you.
Stop this horrific practice. No one wants to see these beloved creatures tortured, killed and eaten!
“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its,animals are treated.” Mahatma Gandhi
As a “friend” you should be able to speak truth to power and remind them that their betrayal of the trust of sentient domesticated animals is horrific and needs to stop.
Please stop these cruelty! They deserve to live!
Please speak up for what’s fair and right! This horribly cruel and unjust. We can do much better.
Please… enough.. this has to stop
It is a disgrace !!.
I was born and raised in Oakland, CA. We are civilized people here and we do not condone eating our pets.This is a disgrace to have a “sister city” that eats dogs. What is the matter with Oakland?
PLEASE CONDEMN THE HORRIFIC DOG ND CAT MEAT TRADE IN YOUR SISTER CITY, AND IN THE WORLD… PLEASE SAVE THE COUNTLESS DOGS AND CATS FATED TO DIE A VICIOUS DEATH
Please stop these cruelty! this is horrific practice. Dogs don’t deserve all this pain. Poor babies:(
This has gone beyond belief. The fact that anyone will ‘buddy up’ to a country that practices this disgusting act just shows where our country is going to political. Either Libby Schaaf does not know enough about world politics (or really anything for that matter) because she’s too busy climbing up the social ladder, or just does not give a damn. Totally appalling.
I am angry and appalled over the torture and unimaginable suffering from birth to slaughter inflicted on millions of dogs and cats in Korea each year. We in the Bay Area are hearing of this horror and seeing these shocking images and videos on media every day. Dogs and cats are beaten, hung, electrocuted, and brutally treated by farmers and slaughterers. In addition, dogs and cats are still being boiled alive for so-called elixirs, which have no medical properties, except in the minds of misinformed and misled customers. Oakland officials, please urge Pyeongtaek Mayor Jae-Kwang Kong to close down all dog farms, dog slaughterhouses, markets, truckers and restaurants that serve dog and cat meat products now! Oakland officials, you have influence in this “friendship city” relationship to demand from Pyeongtaek that this despicable industry is addressed now and the unimaginable cruelty and suffering is brought to an end, once and for all. Oakland officials, we count on you to do the right thing!
The torture and pain inflicted on these innocent animals absolutely disgust me. I have no respect for the people who can consciously perform such cruel actions day in and day out. I hope God curses these people who support such torture. Stop the horror now!!! Humanity has no dignity with psychos doing and supporting such vile acts against these poor animals.
Do you think that Oakland should be a Friendship city to any city that allows dogs and cats to be tortured and eaten?
You want friendship with such cruel subhumans?
No honour and no compassion,their only achievements in this life.
Shame on YOU for being ‘friends’ with such gut-wrenchingly cruel masses. How can YOU sleep at night knowing such heinous atrocities are being carried out on dogs (and cats) just to ‘satisfy’ some propaganda BS about tortured dog meat cures ailments and make ‘men’ more virile.
Don’t condone the Korean dog meat trade for another minute. End it!
This barbaric cruelty has to stop. Help the young people of S Korea who are trying to end this outdated dog meat eating tradition and help them to rescue the dogs that are already in the system and save them from appalling cruelty and a horrific death. If you enter into a friendship with a S Korean city them you must try and end this practice, you cannot just ‘cherry pick’ the parts of a friendship that yo want.
This absokutely needs to end, and immediately!! Unless you do you cannot be considered as part of humanity. This si not what humanity does.
Please educate these people to realise that what they are doing is sheer evil..its 2017 please do not accept what they do and start to show them.its not acceptable to kill these poor pets ..if you don’t you will not get the respect from the rest of the world..any animal lover will be devastated if you allow this to continue..i for one would not visit your country or any place that does this so please make a stand stop….
I love California and comes often for holidays touring around, and have been several times in Oakland…..but I will pay attention NEVER to stay anymore in Okland’s area. I believe civilized country as USA, as Oakland city..and people there cannot accept the cruelty and tortures that are daily inflicted to dogs and cats…please reconsider your position: My family will be yust few visitors less for you….but maybe this news will cause less and less income from tourism around the world.Gloria Fraschini
Stop the evil, barbaric, horrifying dog and cat meat trade. It´s sickening how this shithole of a country tortures and kills thousands of innocent cats and dogs every year, IT HAS TO STOP NOW!! No animal should suffer like this, HORRIFYING!!!
Why would you want to be a friendship city with subhumans who routinely torture and eat companion animals? Shame on you!
Please help to make a change for these poor animals life the suffering they must feel is horrendous to even think about. I urge you to help them.
The killing and eating of cats and dogs is bad enough, but the brutal treatment they get before being slaughtered and the actual slaughter itself is barbaric and horrific. The world watches these people and the countries they’re from and makes comments of a backward nation that hasn’t truely become civilised yet. How on earth can you eat cats and dogs that have been a part of the family for thousands of years, not only sharing our homes and our lives but helping us in times of disaster. Dogs search buildings after earthquakes and floods looking for people that are trapped and help then to be rescued, they are also used to help find cancer in us humans before even the medical people know it’s there? They also help in wars to protect our soldiers and our police force to hunt down criminals.They are so much worthy of our love and respect, not to be abused and killed. Cats also help in our lives catching vermin that would cause us harm. They have also been known to help in protecting children in some cases as well as sharing our homes and giving us pleasure to play with.STOP killing our family and friends and become more civilised in the 21st centuary.
Every good thing about South Korea is obliterated due to the sadistic torture of animals. This is NOT how humans conduct themselves and still call themselves humans!
Please you must stop!
Please stop this.
Torturing animals is against the law.
These animals need love and respect.
Who would want to be a friend to a city that TORTURES and EATS dogs and cats. Please tell them to stop and no more friends till this comes to an end (verified)
The torture and cruel sadistic abuse of dogs and cats is appalling ! unbelievably inhumane!
No one could sit by and not be shocked at the pain inflicted on these poor terrified, tortured caged dogs.
There is enough food without killing, farming dogs and torturing them in the cruelest way’s, skinning them alive, boiling them alive, using blow torches to inflict unimaginable pain. What beings are they that get such pleasure from these tortures. I beseech you to search your heart and morals and stop this barbaric practise now you have the power . Thank you
How does anyone consider this a “business” Stealing innocent dogs and cramming them in crates to be slaughtered mercilessly. This has to stop and you are a complete fool to even consider these absurd remarks as” legalizing their business.” These are sick people that are killing and torturing innocent animals for profiting themselves at their deaths. The animals are loving, compassionate, dogs, with souls and feeling, put here on this earth by God for us to love and take care of – NOT MURDER.
Please – don’t even consider what these sick people do as a business and want this to continue. The Meat Trade must stop NOW And you can do your part by showing others you are a human being with heart, compassion and a soul.
Sharing your culture is one thing. Purposely torturing an animal for ANY reason is morally abhorrent and is something to be stopped immediately. Please, please, stand up for these animals. By doing so you will cause a momentary uproar from the dog meat farmers and people stuck in the old ways, but you will create a kinder, more respectful society, one to be proud of…..and we desperately need that in the world right now. We would stand with you!!!
STOP your horrific, inhumane, dog and cat eating industry, NOW! NO friendship until this is abolished.
Stop befriending these evil barbaric people ans their evil cultures!!they will bring it into your country…
We are in 2017, how can Oakland be willing to become friend with a city that tolerates the torture and killing of sentient beings? Unacceptable!
Please speak out for the dogs and cats brutally tortured to death by your new ‘friends’. You really should have raised the issue before this friendship – unless you are completely unaware of this abhorrent trade. Either way I would seriously question your judgement. Once money and trade is involved no doubt you will turn a blind eye. Well we have all told you so you can chose to ignore the electorate of take some positive action to address this cruelty NOW.
If you are so proud of Korea’s culture and food, maybe you ought to find out about the nightmarish way in which companion animals are slaughtered in that country. Many Koreans are against it and your Korean community could play a part in that stand against this horrendous cruelty.
How can you be a sister city to a culture that tortures and eats dogs? Please do all you can to help stop this horror for these innocent animals. The favor of your reply is appreciated.
Please use this opportunity to urge South Korea to end its torture and consumption of dogs and cats. Do not be complicit in these atrocities by not addressing the issue.
By being a friend to a city whose people torture and murder our dear animal friends, and by not speaking out against the terrible cruelty inflicted upon these dear cats and dogs, you are condoning this suffering. Please do the right thing and end your friendship with this city until they too stop this unforgivable cruelty, please.