According to Yonhap News Agency and AFP, South Korea's National Assembly held a plenary session on Tuesday (January 9) and voted to pass a bill on banning dog meat. By a vote of 208 to 0, the National Assembly adopted the draft Special Law on the Prohibition of the Breeding, Slaughtering and Circulation of Dogs for Food.
The draft prohibits the breeding, breeding, and slaughtering of dogs for food, as well as the distribution and sale of dogs and processed dog meat. Slaughtering a dog for food purposes is punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won. The penalty will come into force three years after the enactment of the Act.
Dog meat has long been a part of Korean cuisine, with as many as 1 million dogs reportedly slaughtered every year for **. As more Koreans have pets, the consumption of dog meat continues to decline. Activists welcomed the bill, calling it "making history" and "its own country is moving into the ranks of civilized nations."
"We have reached a turning point where the majority of South Korean citizens refuse to eat dog meat, hoping that this cruel act will become history," Chua Jung-ah, executive director of Humane International Korea, stated. I'm heartbroken for millions of dogs, for whom it's too late. But I'm glad that South Korea has closed this tragic chapter. ”
A poll released by the South Korean animal protection organization AWARE on Monday (8th) showed that 934% of respondents said they had no intention of eating dog meat in the future. South Korea's previous efforts to ban dog meat were met with strong opposition from farmers who farmed meat dogs. South Korea's roughly 1,100 dog farms keep hundreds of thousands of dogs a year, and the new law will help them exit the industry.