1 of 7 | South Korean lawmakers and government officials announced plans Friday to implement a law by the end of this year that would ban the dog meat industry and close farms raising dogs for slaughter such as this one in Asan, South Korea. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI |
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SEOUL, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- South Korea announced plans to end the country's dog meat industry on Friday, aiming to phase out the age-old practice entirely by 2027.
Lawmakers and government officials are pushing for the passage of a special act to end the dog meat trade by the end of the year, which would then lead to a three-year phase-out period. The announcement came after a meeting among members of the ruling People Power Party, the agricultural ministry and animal rights groups at the National Assembly in Seoul on Friday.
"It is time to put an end to the social conflict and controversies caused by dog eating by enacting a special law," assembly member Yu Eui-dong said at a press conference after the meeting.
"We live in an era where there are millions of pets," Yu said. "In particular, dogs are not just possessions, but family members and friends that interact with people. The majority of the public is against eating dogs."
If the legislation is passed, the breeding, slaughtering, distribution and sale of dogs for food will be prohibited. Over the phase-out period, compensation will be offered to registered dog farm owners and others in the industry to help them shut down operations and transition to new fields.
JungAh Chae, executive director of Humane Society International/Korea, said the news was "like a dream come true for all of us who have campaigned so hard to end this cruelty."
"Korean society has reached a tipping point where most people now reject eating dogs and want to see this suffering consigned to the history books," Chae, who attended Friday's meeting, said in an emailed statement. "With so many dogs needlessly suffering for a meat that hardly anyone eats, the government's bill delivers a bold plan that must now urgently be passed."
Falling demand, negative public opinion and activist pressure have led to the closure of many of the country's largest slaughterhouses and markets in recent years. Still, HSI estimates that roughly 1 million dogs are being bred across South Korea to be killed for human consumption, with many farms operating illegally.
The charity has closed 18 farms in South Korea since 2015, finding homes for more than 2,700 dogs in the United States, Canada, Britain and the Netherlands.
According to a survey conducted by Nielsen Korea last year, 87.5% of South Koreans said they would never eat dog meat, a seasonal tradition that lingers primarily among older generations.
Public support for a ban has also continued to climb, with 56% favoring making the practice illegal, according to the Nielsen survey -- a figure that spiked from less than 35% in 2017.
Bipartisan support exists to end the practice, with both major parties introducing bills earlier this year that would outlaw the butchery and sale of dog meat and make its consumption illegal.
Once the legislation is passed, farms, slaughterhouses, distributors and restaurants will be required to submit an implementation plan for shutting down their operations to local governments.
