Here we talk with Min-hee Janet Yoo from Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE).
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What is personal background, e.g., geography, culture, language, and religion or lack thereof?
Min-hee Janet Yoo: I’m Min-hee Janet Yoo. I’m originally from Gangwon Province–where the recent wildfires were–in north-west South Korea, however, I lived abroad for about 10 years, first in the US and later in Australia while I attended the University of Queensland majoring in Wildlife Biology. I’m not religious in any way, nor would I consider myself a ‘spiritual’ person.
Jacobsen: How did you come to work in non-human animal rights? (How did you become involved in Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth or CARE?)
Yoo: I’ve always loved animals, but it wasn’t until 2015 when I went to a Greenpeace Open Boat day that I seriously thought about working in the non-profit sector. I volunteered for Greenpeace Korea a little later that year and then applied for a job as a street fundraiser. While working for Greenpeace korea, I heard about a job at CARE, talked to the President, was offered a job, and started on the Monday after the Friday my year contract with Greenpeace was up.
Jacobsen: How important are non-human animal rights in a period of massive extinction precipitated by modern human global civilization?
Yoo: In the current period of extreme stress that the human population is putting on this planet, animal rights, and specifically those pertaining to the vast number of food animals kept and killed in factory farms and slaughterhouses, a simple way to combat climate change, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss and public health problems caused by factory farming and its subsidiary and supporting industries is to drastically cut down, or cut out completely, the consumption of animal-based food. Even something as simple as a household halving the amount of animal-based food they eat and replacing it with plant-based foods can have a significant effect.
Jacobsen: As the Operations Director, what tasks and responsibilities come with the position?
Yoo: I am responsible for overseeing all activities within CARE. This includes campaigns and fundraising, the adoption centers and shelters, and our social media outreach. I’m also responsible for the direct management of the staff at the head office.
Jacobsen: How can individuals learn more about the organizations and its activities?
Yoo: We have an English website, a Facebook page, and we’re Twitter and Instagram. You can also sign up for our newsletter on the website.
Jacobsen: What will be its work moving further into the 2019/2020 period?
Yoo: Our main campaign focus for the foreseeable future is the ending of the dog meat industry in South Korea. This will be obtained through public awareness campaigns and putting pressure on lawmakers to amend and strengthen the Animal Protection Act. Other than that, normal rescue, shelter and adoption operations will continue. We’ll also be looking to develop relationships with overseas organizations to help get the larger dogs liberated from dog farms adopted abroad.
Jacobsen: How can people donate time or money to the organization if interested in non-human animal rights?
Yoo: If you’d like to donate time and you live in South Korea, you can volunteer at our adoption center or at an event. If you’re not in South Korea, you can support us with a direct donation, or fundraise for us using our integrated fundraising platform. And here, I have to give a shout out to Charitable who developed the Donation Management System plugin that we use on our English site. If you’re a smaller non-profit without a huge fundraising budget, this plugin will help enormously.
Jacobsen: Any recommended organizations, authors, or speakers?
Yoo: CARE works with World Dog Alliance in China, and DoVE in the US. I would recommend these two organizations for their dedication to animal rights, and they’re really nice people, too.
Jacobsen: Any final feelings or thoughts in conclusion based on the conversation today?
Yoo: Thank you for the opportunity to tell your readers about CARE and get our mission out to a wider audience.
Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Min-hee.
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Scott Douglas Jacobsen is the Founder of In-Sight: Independent Interview-Based Journal and In-Sight Publishing. He authored/co-authored some e-books, free or low-cost. If you want to contact Scott: Scott.D.Jacobsen@Gmail.com.
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Other Resources: Recovering From Religion.
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Photo by Charles Postiaux on Unsplash