South Korean parliament passes bill to ban dog meat trade
January 9, 2024
Eating and selling dog meat is to become illegal in South Korea as of 2027 amid growing calls to ban the practice.
Dog meat has long been a part of South Korean culinary tradition but has gone out of fashionImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo
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Parliamentarians in South Korea on Tuesday passed a bill to ban selling or producing dog meat, something that has been practiced in the country for centuries.
The law, which is to go into force in 2027, comes amid growing support for animal welfare in the country.
The National Assembly passed the bill by a 208-0 vote. Although it still needs to be endorsed by the Cabinet Council and signed by President Yoon Suk-yeol to go into force, those steps are considered a formality.
Support for a ban has grown under President Yoon, who is known for adopting stray dogs and cats. His wife, Kim Keon-hee, has also been outspoken in her criticism of the practice.
Recent surveys show that most South Koreans no longer include dog meat in their diets.
What does the law stipulate?
Under the new law, it will become illegal to breed, sell or kill dogs for their meat, with offenses punished by up to three years in jail or 30 million won (€21,000, $23,000) in fines.
"This law is aimed at contributing to realizing the values of animal rights, which pursue respect for life and a harmonious co-existence between humans and animals," the legislation reads.
The law does not stipulate punishments for consuming dog meat.
Dog farmers are expected to hold protests against the bill and file a petition at the constitutional court.
The South Korean Agriculture Ministry has estimated that more than 1,000 farms were breeding almost half a million dogs to be served at around 1,600 restaurants as of April 2022.
tj/wmr (Reuters, AP, AFP)
China's dog meat festival - it's a man-eat-dog world
Despite protests and international criticism, an annual dog meat festival is being held in the southern Chinese town of Yulin, where dog meat is considered a delicacy. Residents say dog meat is part of their tradition.
Image: Reuters/K. Kyung-Hoon
The 'festival'
The Lychee and Dog Meat Festival, held every year in a small town in the largely rural and poor Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, sees thousands of canines butchered and eaten. The controversial event, which opened on June 21, is ostensibly held to mark the summer solstice.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Culture or business?
Locals say that eating dog meat is no different from pork and is traditional during the summertime. But animal rights activists claim the festival has no cultural value and was merely created to boost business.
Image: Reuters/K. Kyung-Hoon
Protests
Criticism is mounting against the mass slaughter of dogs. "We came to Yulin to tell people that dogs are our friends," says Yang Yuhua, an animal rights activist. "We cannot cruelly kill them." According to a poll, two thirds of Chinese demand an end to the dog meat festival. Here, animal rights activists protest against the Yulin festival in front of the Chinese embassy in Los Angeles.
Image: Picture alliance/NurPhoto/R. Tivony
Saving dogs
Activists sometimes buy dogs to save them from the cooking pots. In 2015, dog lover Yang Xiaoyun traveled from her hometown, Tianjin, in northern China to Yulin and spent about 7,000 yuan (944 euros) buying up 100 dogs at a market to save them. Here, dogs purchased by activists to rescue them from dog meat dealers, are kept in a temporary shelter.
Image: Reuters/K. Kyung-Hoon
Legal
In 2015, the Yulin government distanced itself from the festival and announced new restrictions. Traders would no longer be permitted to slaughter dogs in public, place carcasses on display or serve meals outdoors, it said. But there is no law against eating dog meat in China. Here, vendors sell dog meat at a market.
Image: Reuters/K. Kyung-Hoon
Millions
As many as 10 million dogs are believed to be killed for their meat annually in China, with up to 10,000 killed for the Yulin festival, according to the Washington-based Humane Society. While much of the meat comes through legitimate farms, many dog slaughterhouses are run privately and secretively to avoid scrutiny by food-safety inspectors.
Image: Reuters/K. Kyung-Hoon
'The festival will go on'
Li Yongwei, a Yulin resident, told the AFP news agency that dog was the same as any other meat. "You shouldn't force people to make choices they don't want to make, the way you wouldn't force someone to be a Christian or a Buddhist or a Muslim," he said. "The festival will go on. Young people, old people, even babies are all eating dog meat. It's tradition," said another resident.
Image: Reuters/K. Kyung-Hoon
Popular across Asia
Dog meat remains a popular dish in other Asian countries such as Vietnam where it is considered to be an aphrodisiac. Over the past few years, an illegal dog meat trade has flourished across Asia worth millions of dollars, which critics say is unnecessarily cruel and carries a rising risk to public health. According to estimates, 30 million dogs are eaten every year across Asia.
