Dame Judi Dench slams time-honoured foreign tradition

Dame Judi Dench has sent an urgent message to Boris Johnson to “vigorously encourage” South Korea to end its “cruel dog meat trade”.

Dame Judi joined the likes of actor Peter Egan, Jenny Seagrove and author Jilly Cooper in signing a letter addressed to Johnson, the United Kingdom’s new foreign secretary.

Dame Judi Dench adds her support to South Korea dog meat ban effort https://t.co/iUjXGPWfK2 via @tv3xpose

— Jeff Rohan (@JeffreyRohan) September 12, 2016

The correspondence read: “This debate is a vital chance for MPs to discuss measures to stop the uniquely cruel intensive farming of up to 3 millions dogs each year in South Korea, who are raised and killed largely to be made into a supposed ‘health’ soup — boshintang…”

Coordinating the campaign is the Humane Society International, United Kingdom.

HSI executive director Claire Bass says, “Their [the dogs] lives are monotonous and deprived, their death often protracted and brutal, with all this suffering simply for a meat delicacy that is eaten rarely by most South Koreans.

“Britain prides itself on being world leaders in animal welfare, so we’re asking the Government to make that reputation genuinely mean something for these dogs.”

Bass says with more politicians and South Koreans speaking out against the dog meat trade, “now is the time for Britain to add its support”.

The online petition placing pressure on Johnson to speak out in favour of outlawing the trade received more than 100,000 signatures.

What do you think of the push for the UK Government to speak out against South Korea’s dog meat trade? Tell us your favourite Dame Judi television show or movie.