SEOUL—Twenty-four Korean lawmakers and Humane Society International/Korea are hosting an exhibition to celebrate the stop-motion animated short film Save Ralph and to raise awareness amongst lawmakers about innovative science without animal suffering. The exhibit also urges lawmakers to pass a new bill, Act on the Promotion of Development, Dissemination and Use of Alternatives to Animal Testing (PAAM Act).
Co-hosted by the National Assembly Animal Welfare Forum and its members of the 24 lawmakers across political parties, the Save Ralph exhibition is organized by HSI/Korea and Assembly member In-soon Nam and supported by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Osong Medical Innovation Foundation.
Save Ralph, which tells the story of a rabbit used in a cosmetic testing facility, is nominated for the 2022 Webby Awards and its Korean version was released yesterday on laboratory animal day.
The exhibition opening will be visited by a special guest, South Korea’s TV celebrity Sam Hammington, who has been a supporter of HSI/Korea’s activities for animal protection in the past years. Hammington is joining the opening ceremony to celebrate Ralph and encourage visitors to sign the petition to pass the PAAM Act.
The opening of the exhibition is April 28. It consists of four sections:
- A screen for visitors to watch Save Ralph
- Details about the PAAM Act
- Information about the alternatives to animal testing, a including organ-on-a-chip, human cell test method and 3D printing approach.
- A display that offers visitors the opportunity to take action to sign the petition that urges the passage of the PAAM Act.
Hammington said: “Watching Ralph’s story left me with many different feelings for Ralph and other animals. I hope many people will visit the exhibition and learn about scientific approaches that replace animals. I’m glad to be a part of this change.”
Hong-geun Park, co-leader of the Assembly Animal Welfare Forum, said: “The Animal Protection Act has recently been revised entirely since its enactment 31 years ago. The amendment included strengthening the ethics around animal testing. Reflecting this positive change in our society, I hope that this exhibition will create an opportunity to raise awareness to pass the PAAM Act for all animals and humans.”
Co-organizer Assembly member In-soon Nam said: “Save Ralph made Mexico become the first country in North America to end cosmetics animal testing. I hope Ralph brings a positive change to Korea as well. Considering scientific limitations to apply animal results to humans, we need to promote the development and dissemination of alternatives to animal testing approaches.”
Borami Seo, HSI/Korea senior policy manager, said: “Ralph represents over 4 million laboratory animals. In addition to the Save Ralph film, the highlight of the exhibition is also the modern technologies that can replace animal testing. The passage of the PAAM Act is important to support these animal-free technology areas.”
The Save Ralph exhibition is being held from April 27-29 at the lobby of the National Assembly. Anyone with an ID card can enter the exhibition venue and help save Ralph.
Watch Save Ralph with Korean subtitles.
ENDS
Media contact: Borami Seo, senior policy manager in research and toxicology: bseo@hsi.org
