South Korea bans dog meat, a now unpopular practice
South Korea’s lawmakers on Tuesday banned the breeding, slaughter and sale of dogs for human consumption, a centuries-old practice that is unpopular and rare today.
Dog meat was common again, and remained so in the decades after the Korean War, when the country was destitute and meat was scarce. It is used in a well-known dish that the Koreans call ‘bosintang’, or ‘soup good for your body’. But the practice was increasingly shunned as incomes, pet ownership and animal welfare concerns steadily increased in the late 20th century.
Today, many South Koreans, especially young people, find eating dog meat disgusting. About 93 percent of South Korean adults said they did not plan to consume dog meat in the future, and 82 percent said they supported a ban, according to a survey. questionnaire conducted last year by Aware, an animal welfare organization in Seoul.
“This is history in the making that I never thought I would experience in my lifetime,” Chae Jung-ah, director of Humane Society International Korea, said in a statement released by the group. She added: “We have reached a tipping point where most Korean citizens reject eating dogs.”
In passing the ban, South Korea joined a list of other places where the dog meat trade is banned, including Hong Kong, India, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand, the group said. According to figures, millions of dogs are still killed every year for their meat in countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam Four legsan animal welfare organization in Austria.
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s office is expected to officially implement the ban. Mr Yoon and Kim Keon Hee, the first lady, who own numerous dogs and cats, have campaigned for the ban. The president succeeded after previous administrations failed to rally enough support to end the practice.
According to the law, it has adopted the National Assembly With widespread support, someone who slaughters dogs for human consumption could face up to three years in prison or a fine of 30 million South Korean won, or about $23,000, after a three-year grace period. Breeding and selling the animals could be punishable by two years in prison or a 20 million won fine.
The law will also offer dog farmers and owners of restaurants that serve dog meat financial incentives to change jobs, with each of them required to submit a phase-out plan to the local government.
In 2022, approximately 520,000 dogs were bred for human consumption on 1,150 farms, and approximately 1,600 restaurants across the country sold dog meat. according to lawmakers – significantly lower than in recent years.
An association of dog farmers protested in the months before the bill was passed, arguing that eating dog meat was a matter of individual choice and demanding more compensation for farmers who would lose their businesses as a result of a ban.
The law’s passage marked a milestone for animal rights activists who have campaigned for the ban for years. Since 2015, they have helped 18 dog farmers close their operations or transition to vegetable farms. The farmers gave up their animals to be adopted as pets.