The Story of Heendoongi and Gomdoli: A Cry for Justice
Sharing for Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE)
This is Seo-gu (West District) in Incheon. The scorching sun beat down, turning the field into a furnace. For Heendoongi (Whitey) and Gomdoli (Bear), two brothers tied beside a field, the heat wasn’t just uncomfortable — it was a cruel, burning inferno. Day after day, they endured the blistering ground; year after year, they survived brutal summers and bitter winters with no shelter and no relief.
For three long years, Heendoongi suffered through Korea’s harshest seasons. In the freezing cold and suffocating heat, he remained tied to the same spot — exposed, helpless, and forgotten. He felt pain. He cried out. But no one came.
Then, on one of the hottest days of the year, the sun turned deadly. As temperatures soared to 40°C (104°F), Heendoongi began to vomit. His body weakened, his eyes lost focus. Despite his obvious suffering, no help arrived. A concerned neighbor pleaded with the owner to provide shade, prompting the belated setup of a tarp and parasol. But it was too late. Heendoongi collapsed. By the next morning, he was gone — his silent suffering ended in death.
His brother Gomdoli had watched it all. Feeling his own brain burn with the heat, Gomdoli knew he had to escape. With a final surge of strength, he broke free from his leash and ran — to the nearest house, the home of an informant. He couldn’t speak, but his panting breath, trembling limbs, and scorched body cried out: “Please save me.” The informant understood. For over 30 minutes, they sprayed him with water, cooling his feverish body and calming his frantic heart.
But the relief was short-lived. Soon after, the owner returned — coldly dragging the weakened dog back and tying him up again. The world had turned its back once more.
The owner later remarked with stunning indifference, “I thought the other one would die, but it was Heendoongi. He wasn’t eating. Then he died. I untied him later and saw he had come home to die.”
In the end, with nowhere else to go, Heendoongi returned to what he still believed was home. He collapsed there — in the same place that had brought him years of pain — and died.
In the freezing winters, Heendoongi and Gomdoli cried through the night. They were never even given a plastic sheet for warmth. To deny them shade in the summer and cover in the winter is not just neglect — it is cruelty. They endured for three years — feeling pain, longing for comfort, clinging to life. One, by chance, survived. The other did not.
Emergency Rescue Success
Gomdoli is alive.
After his location was confirmed, CARE successfully carried out an emergency rescue. Gomdoli has been rushed to the hospital and is now recovering. He will live — not just to survive, but to become a voice for change.
CARE will protect Gomdoli and ensure that his life is never again reduced to silent suffering. We will use every means necessary to hold the owner of Heendoongi and Gomdoli accountable — and to ensure they reflect deeply on their actions.
A Call for Legislative Change
Even now, across South Korea, countless dogs just like Heendoongi and Gomdoli are suffering — tethered in yards and fields, exposed to the elements, dying slow, unseen deaths. Their pain is not natural. It is preventable. It is man-made. And it must stop.
If the previous government had the courage to ban dog slaughter, the current government must go further: it must ban the lifelong tethering and abandonment of dogs outdoors. Dogs are not tools. They are not property. They are sentient beings who feel pain, love, fear, and hope.
CARE is calling for:
- A ban on lifelong outdoor tethering and confinement
- Prohibiting the isolation of dogs at locations separate from where their guardian resides
- An expanded legal definition of “companion animal” to include all field and yard dogs
- A companion animal tax to fund welfare and enforcement
- Mandatory welfare checks and guardian education programs
Unrecorded deaths are forgotten. And forgotten deaths are repeated.
Please, join us. Visit President Lee Jae-myung’s Instagram account @2_jaemyung and tag him in the comments. Be a strong voice for Heendoongi, for Gomdoli, and for the thousands of dogs still suffering in silence.
Legislation saves lives.
It’s time to end the suffering of Korea’s forgotten dogs.
KOREANDOGS.ORG
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“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -Mahatma Gandhi
“한 국가의 위대함과 도덕성은 그 나라의 동물들이 어떻게 대우받고 있는지를 보면 알 수 있다.” -마하트마 간디
