[Animals] South Korea passes law banning dog meat trade

[El Máster Edwin]

The centuries-old practice of eating dog meat has been fading in South Korea, and activists cheered the ban as a historic victory for animal welfare.

 

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean lawmakers passed a bill on Tuesday banning the consumption and sale of dog meat, in a move cheered by animal welfare groups.

“This is history in the making,” JungAh Chae, executive director of Humane Society International Korea, said in a statement.

“I never thought I would see in my lifetime a ban on the cruel dog meat industry in South Korea, but this historic win for animals is testament to the passion and determination of our animal protection movement,” she added.

The centuries-old practice of eating dog meat has been fading in South Korea, though some older people especially still believe it provides health benefits during the hot summer. Up to 1 million dogs are farmed and killed in South Korea each year for human consumption, according to Humane Society International Korea.

The tradition stemmed in part from the needs of ordinary people with limited access to beef and other meat, and advocates of the ban had argued there was no longer any need to consume dog meat since South Korea is now an affluent society with the world’s 13th-biggest economy.

A caged dog in Seoul, South Korea, in November.

 

As South Korea has developed dogs have surged in po[CENSORED]rity as pets, with an estimated 6 million in Korean homes, Humane Society International Korea says. South Koreans often treat their pets as cherished family members, sometimes giving them burials as elaborate as those for humans. 

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has six dogs and eight cats with his wife, Kim Keon Hee, a vocal supporter of the ban.

 

Eighty-six percent of South Koreans say they have little or no intention of consuming dog meat in the future, according to the results of a survey released in September that was conducted by Nielsen Korea and commissioned by Humane Society International Korea. In the same survey, 57 percent of respondents said they would support a ban on the dog meat industry. 

The ban had been opposed by farmers, restaurant owners and others involved in the dog meat industry who said they would be harmed economically. In November, about 200 held a rally against the legislation during which some protesters clashed with Seoul police.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee posing with puppies at the Samsung Guide Dog School in Yongin on Dec. 24, 2022.

 

“South Korea is rapidly moving towards a society focusing on the welfare of animals and the time is now for the South Korean government to act to resolve the problems of canine consumption,” South Korean Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung said.

“We plan to continue to communicate with the animal protection advocate groups and the canine consumption business community to devise ways to provide a reasonable and rational compensation,” she added.

Violations of the legislation, which takes effect three years from now, are punishable by up to three years in prison or 30 million won ($22,800) in fines.

South Korea joins a growing list of Asian countries and territories that have banned the dog meat trade, including India, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

 

 

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