South Korea’s parliament has passed a bill banning the breeding, slaughtering, and selling of dogs for their meat, a traditional practice that activists have criticized as an embarrassment for the country.
Eating dog meat has been a part of South Korean cuisine for a long time, and at one point, up to a million dogs were killed for the trade every year, according to activists.
However, consumption has declined recently as Koreans embrace pet ownership in droves. Eating dog meat is a taboo among younger, urban South Koreans, and pressure on the government to outlaw the practice from animal rights activists has been mounting.
The bill, proposed by the ruling and main opposition parties, was passed unanimously by a 208-0 vote. It will come into effect following a three-year grace period after it receives final approval from President Yoon Suk Yeol, who has expressed his support for the bill. Under the law, breeding, selling, and slaughtering dogs for their meat will be punishable by up to three years in prison or 30 million won ($23,000) in fines.
Activists have welcomed the bill, calling it “history in the making” and saying that it will pave the way for protecting the rights of other animals.
The Humane Society International/Korea executive director, JungAh Chae, said, “We reached a tipping point where most Korean citizens reject eating dogs and want to see this suffering consigned to the history books.” In a survey released on Monday by Seoul-based think tank Animal Welfare Awareness, Research, and Education, nine out of 10 people in South Korea said they would not eat dog meat in the future.
The new law will provide compensation so businesses can leave the trade. Previous efforts to ban dog meat have faced opposition from farmers who breed dogs for consumption. According to government figures, around 1,100 dog farms generate hundreds of thousands of dogs each year served in restaurants nationwide.
Dog meat is usually eaten in South Korea as a summertime delicacy, with greasy red meat – invariably boiled for tenderness – believed to increase energy to help handle the heat.
Animal rights activists have been pushing for a ban on dog meat for years, and the new law has been a long time coming. The country’s current animal protection law is intended mainly to prevent the cruel slaughter of dogs and cats but does not ban consumption itself.
Nonetheless, authorities have invoked the law and other hygiene regulations to crack down on dog farms and restaurants ahead of international events such as the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
The ban on dog meat is a pioneering decision globally, said activist group Animal Liberation Wave, adding that it would be a starting point for not only liberating dogs but also presenting different standards and a future for other species of animals that are subject to industrial exploitation, such as cows, pigs, and chickens.
South Korea’s parliament has passed a bill that will ban the breeding, slaughtering, and selling dogs for their meat. The bill was passed unanimously and will come into effect following a three-year grace period after it receives final approval from President Yoon Suk Yeol.
The new law will provide compensation so businesses can leave the trade. Animal rights activists have been pushing for a ban on dog meat for years, and the new law has been a long time coming.
