Media Reports

Busan Ilbo, Korea, March 25, 2005

Developing One’s Positive Nature
through a Vegetarian Diet

(Originally in Korean)

At 5:00 PM on May 26, 2005, the Vegetarian Society of Korea (VSK), soon to be an officially recognized NGO (Non-Government Organization), will host a celebration in Busan, Korea to commemorate its establishment as an NGO and promote vegetarianism.

Joining in the event will be the chairman and founder of VSK as an NGO, initiate Jae-O Park, 46, a lawyer from Jun-Buk Province, Korea and Doctor Carl Seff, head of the Vegetarian Society of Hawaii and professor at Hawaii University.

Mr. Park is a well known spokesperson for the vegetarian movement in Korea. He worked for over eight years at a district court in Seoul and Cheong-Ju but quit his job in 2000, publicly announcing that he felt limited in his position with regard to bringing about positive social change and thus wished to study religion and philosophy to expedite this process. After his public announcement Mr. Park became a complete vegan and opened a law practice in his home town, Jeon-Ju where he practices only part time because his main objective in life is to teach others about the benefits of vegetarianism. Mr. Park works diligently to present the merits of the vegetarian diet in Korea, where the present percentage of vegetarians in the population is presumed to be only one percent.

Regarding his work, Mr. Park says, “I began this effort to let others know about how great the vegetarian diet is and about the happiness that vegetarianism can bring into one’s life. During the last few years, vegetarian activities have been limited to local groups of like-minded people and there has been a strong need for vegetarian associations and activities to be more organized so as to achieve VSK’s ideals. Once we are established as an official NGO, we will publish a monthly magazine, conduct research and let people know the numerous merits of the vegetarian diet with respect to health, solving world starvation, making better use of energy resources, respecting life, social justice, stabilizing the food supply and so on.”

It is expected that a wide array of individuals and groups will participate in the event, including vegetarian associations from other cities, organizations such as the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA), members of Ilgwando and other Buddhist groups, the yoga organization Ananda Marga and workers from medical institutions and animal protection and environmental agencies.

Regarding the move toward increased vegetarianism worldwide Mr. Park states, “Just several years ago, people thought it was very weird not to eat meat. But now it’s been proven that eating meat causes many diseases in the human body. Also, large pastures developed for livestock are known to cause water and soil pollution in the surrounding areas, and the excessive cutting down of trees to create more grazing land triggers natural disasters such as floods and droughts.”

But the most important message that Mr. Park wishes to convey is that our spirituality can be positively affected through a vegetarian diet: “When I was a meat eater, I always thought that eating meat was like accumulating lots of spiritual debt that eventually had to be paid off. Vegetarians naturally pursue non-violent, peaceful activities and gain an inherent love of nature through the diet. It helps us to be healthier and also changes attitudes toward life and nature. Don’t you think this is the true meaning of ‘well being’? What’s good for me is good for nature and the universe, and this is why I decided to begin following a vegetarian diet.”

Likewise, Mr. Park explains, “Some people ask questions such as ‘What if the vegetarian diet causes malnutrition and what’s left to eat if we eat only vegetables?’ However, vegetarians eat similar foods as others except instead of meat products they use veggie ham, soy-based ‘meats,’ veggie chicken and so on, which are made from nutritious soy beans, grains and vegetables.”

In addition, Mr. Park says, “I hope that our society matures so that vegetarians are equally respected for their dietary choices, whether in school lunches or military dinners when nutrition specialists and chefs prepare their meals.”(Reported by Eun-Young Kim)