SEOUL:
South Korea’s parliament approved a bill on Tuesday to ban the consumption and sale of dog meat, a move that would end the controversial centuries-old practice amid growing support for animal welfare.
Eating dog meat was once considered a way to improve stamina in the humid Korean summer. But the practice has become rare — largely confined to a few elderly people and certain restaurants — as more Koreans view dogs as family pets and as criticism of how the dogs are slaughtered has grown.
Activists say most dogs are electrocuted or hanged when slaughtered for meat, although breeders and traders say progress has been made in making the slaughter more humane.
Support for the ban has grown under President Yoon Suk Yeol, an animal lover who has six dogs and eight cats with First Lady Kim Keon Hee, also a vocal critic of dog meat consumption.
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Pet ownership has also increased over the years. One in four Korean households owned a dog in 2022, up from 16% in 2010, according to government data.
Proposed by the ruling party and with rare bipartisan support, the bill passed with an overwhelming 208 votes in favor and two abstentions in the unicameral parliament.
The legislation, which states its aim is to “eliminate the consumption of dogs”, will come into force after a three-year grace period. Breeding and slaughtering dogs to produce meat for human consumption will be punishable by up to three years in prison or 30 million won ($22,800) in fines. The bill does not provide for penalties for eating dog meat per se.
“This is history in progress,” said Chae Jung-ah, executive director of the Humane Society International Korea, an animal protection group. “We have reached the tipping point where most Korean citizens reject eating dogs and want to see this suffering consigned to the history books.”
Boiled dog meat is pictured at a restaurant in Hwaseong, South Korea, November 21, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS
In a survey released Monday by Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and Education, a Seoul-based think tank, more than 94 percent of respondents said they had not eaten dog meat in the past year, and about 93 percent said they had not the future would.
Other polls showed support for the ban at around 56%.
Previous attempts to ban dog meat sales have failed in the face of industry protests, and the bill seeks to provide compensation so businesses can exit the trade.
Son Won-hak, an official with the Korea Edible Dog Association, an alliance of breeders and sellers, said the group plans to take the matter to the country’s Constitutional Court to challenge the legality of the law, but did not elaborate.
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However, before the bill was passed, its members submitted requests for compensation should it become law. They are seeking at least 2 million won ($1,520) per dog to compensate for losses over the next five years on top of costs for facilities that will be destroyed.
The agriculture ministry said it would consult with the businesses concerned to ensure they continue to operate stably and provide “maximum support within a reasonable range”.
The ministry estimated that as of April 2022, about 1,100 farms were raising 570,000 dogs that would be served in about 1,600 restaurants.
The farmers’ union said the ban would affect 3,500 farms breeding 1.5 million dogs as well as 3,000 restaurants.
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