SOUTH KOREA PASSES LAW TO BAN DOG MEAT TRADE

Tue 09 January 2024:

The South Korean parliament on Tuesday passed a law to ban trade of dog meat by 2027.

There were 208 votes in favor and two abstentions for the bill, which bans the breeding, butchering, distributing and selling of dogs for meat, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

“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.

Law enforcement will begin in 2027, and violators could face a maximum two years of prison sentence or a fine of up to 30 million won ($22,768).

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.

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 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.

The ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party had jointly pushed for the ban, as dog meat is said to have fallen out of favor with diners over the past few decades.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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