Vegans here small but trying to make presence known

Visitors look at fake fur rugs sold at a booth at the Living & Design Market at Yongsan Station, Sunday. / Korea Times photos by Kim Bo-eun

By Kim Bo-eun

Veganism still remains foreign to the majority of Koreans, but communities are steadily making efforts to introduce the dietary and lifestyle choice of excluding animal products to the people here.

The vegan community Votu participated in the Living & Design Market, hosted by lifestyle magazine Living Sense and the I’Park Mall, from May 6-10 at the plaza in front of Yongsan station.

Throughout the five days, Votu members opened booths selling fake fur rugs, vegan baked goods and desserts, as well as imported vegan food products.

Wear Love, an organization of a Votu member promoting fashion and lifestyle that doesn’t involve animal cruelty, sold fake fur rugs in an effort to raise awareness of the brutality involved in producing fur products.

Rugs sold well perhaps because of the affordable price, while vegan baked goods were also popular. But because the market opened for the general public, the overall level of interest in the vegan booths was not very high.

“As opposed to the vegan flea market we had in March, mostly attended by vegans, the market here is for everyone and anyone who passes by the area, so we’ve had very few vegans visiting the booths,” said Kim So-youn, who sold imported vegan food products.

Variety of vegan gatherings

Although they are not widely promoted, a number of vegan gatherings continue to take place in Seoul throughout the year.

Korea Animal Rights Advocates hosted a free screening of “An Omnivorous Family's Dilemma,” a film outlining the brutality of animal farming at the CGV in Apgujeong-dong, Monday. The film by director Hwang Yun was screened at the Berlin International Film Festival this year.

It was part of a signature collecting campaign named “farms instead of factories,” a movement against factory farming animals.

Cook and Book, an additive-free café and baking studio based in Hapjeong-dong, offers vegetarian and vegan baking classes every week.

The Korean Vegetarian Union also periodically hosts lunches where it invites people to come and enjoy a vegan meal and share information.

Low awareness

But despite the efforts, awareness remains low. Katherine Chung, who participated in the Living & Design Market with We Love, attributes this to two factors.

Chung, a seven-year vegan who spent a number of years abroad in the U.S. and China, says Korea has little tolerance for minorities.

“This makes vegans hesitant to speak about their choice and way of life. Because they do not speak out, it is hard to promote veganism.”

There is also resistance against the movement from the livestock industry and related businesses.

Chung, who through We Love aims to raise awareness of veganism, hopes to organize a vegan week, to introduce the diet and lifestyle to the public in a concentrated effort.