On Tuesday, South Korea‘s parliament passed a bill banning the breeding and slaughter of dogs for food, ending the traditional but controversial practice of consuming dog meat after years of nationwide debate. The bill received rare bipartisan support in South Korea’s divided political landscape, highlighting how attitudes toward dog meat consumption have changed in recent decades during the country’s rapid industrialization. The law will prohibit the distribution and sale of food products made or processed with dog ingredients, according to the relevant committee of the National Assembly.
South Korea: What Is the Law Banning Dog Meat About?
Customers who consume dog meat or related products will not be subject to punishment, meaning the law will primarily target those who work in the industry, such as dog breeders or sellers. Under the bill, anyone who slaughters a dog for food could be punished with up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million Korean won ($22,712.14). Those who raise dogs for consumption, or who acquire, transport, store, or sell food made from dogs, will also face fines and prison time.
Owners of dog farms, dog meat restaurants, and other workers in the dog trade will have a three-year grace period to close or change their business, according to the committee. Local governments will be required to support those business owners to make a “stable” transition to other activities.
A Historic Moment for South Korea
The bill will now be sent to President Yoon Suk Yeol for final approval. It was proposed by both Yoon’s ruling party and the main opposition party and has received strong backing from First Lady Kim Keon Hee, who owns several dogs and supported an animal protection organization during a presidential state visit to the Netherlands in December. Like parts of Vietnam and southern China, South Korea has a history of eating dog meat. Traditionally, it was seen in South Korea as a food that helped people beat the heat during the summer and also as a cheap and readily available source of protein at a time when poverty rates were much higher.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, around 1,100 dog farms are operating for food purposes in South Korea, and around half a million dogs are being raised on these farms. However, the practice has also been criticized in recent decades, with animal rights activists at the forefront; International rights groups such as Humane Society International (HSI) have worked to rescue dogs from farms in South Korea and transfer them to other countries.
The number of South Koreans consuming dog meat has also declined sharply as pet ownership has become more common. Dog meat eaters now tend to be older, while younger, more urban South Koreans tend to avoid it, mirroring similar trends elsewhere in Asia. In a survey conducted in 2022, 64% of respondents were against eating dog meat, a notable increase compared to a similar survey in 2015. The number of respondents who had eaten dog meat in the last year also decreased, from 27% in 2015 to 8% in 2022. Between 2005 and 2014, the number of restaurants serving dog meat in the capital Seoul decreased by 40% due to low demand, according to official statistics.
This story was written in Spanish by Miguel Fernandez in Cultura Colectiva News.
