South Korea Takes a Stand: Unanimous Decision to Ban Dog Meat Consumption

In South Korea, the national assembly made a big decision – they voted unanimously to stop people from eating and selling dog meat. This means that from the year 2027, it will be against the law to slaughter, breed, trade, or sell dog meat for people to eat. If someone breaks this law, they could go to jail for two to three years or have to pay a fine of up to 30 million Korean Won, which is about $2,300.

The new rule also says that no new places like farms, slaughterhouses, or restaurants that deal with dog meat can be opened. Existing dog meat farms must tell the local government about what they are doing within three months, and they need to come up with a plan to close down within six months.

The Minister of Food, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs, Song Mi-ryung, said that South Korea is changing, and more people care about animals. The government wants to solve the problem of people eating dogs.

Even though eating dog meat used to be a tradition for many years, now most South Koreans don’t want to do it. A survey showed that 86% of people don’t plan to eat dog meat, and 57% of them support stopping the dog meat industry. This new law is a big step forward to make sure that fewer dogs suffer because of this old tradition.

JungAh Chae, who works with an organization called Humane Society International/Korea, said that most Korean citizens now reject eating dogs. She believes this new law will help make sure that the practice of eating dogs becomes a thing of the past.