By Kim Kang-min
ASAN, South Chungcheong Province ― Just after the break of dawn on Tuesday, three vans drove down a narrow gravel road leading to a dog farm in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, some 100 kilometers from Seoul.
The dogs began barking as more than a dozen activists from Humane Society International (HSI) got out from the vehicles and approached the farm.
The maze-like compound was home to nearly 200 dogs that were locked up in filthy barren cages. Many of the canines barked and wagged their tails at the visitors, while others cowered with their ears flattened and tails tucked between their hind legs. Rusted farm equipment and food waste were found everywhere on the muddy ground. The smell of feces filled the air.