Dog Meat Banned in Historic Vote

Dog meat is set to be outlawed in South Korea by 2027 after the country's parliament passed an almost unanimous bill on Tuesday to ban slaughtering the animals for food and the selling of dog meat. Eating dog meat is a centuries old tradition in the country, and was once believed to improve people's energy during the heat and humidity of summer.

But the practice has become increasingly unpopular and is now rare, particularly among younger generations. Many Koreans keep pet dogs, and controversy over the canine meat trade has grown amid criticism of how the animals are kept and slaughtered. Most of the dogs reared for consumption are electrocuted or hanged.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife have six beloved pet dogs and have previously spoken out against the dog meat trade. The historic bill passed by 208 votes, with two abstentions, after it was first approved by the bipartisan agriculture committee on Monday. The law allows a three year grace period to allow those working in the industry, such as breeders and butchers, to find other employment.

But from 2027, breaking the law would be punishable by up to three years in prison or 30 million won fines ($22,800). Protests against the dog meat trade by animal activists have been taking place for years in the country. But there has been some opposition to the bill from those working within the industry.

In November, a group of about 200 breeders of dogs for consumption held a rally calling for the bill to be scrapped. The agriculture ministry estimated that as of April 2022, there were around 1,100 farms breeding some 570,000 dogs each year to be served at around 1,600 restaurants. However, the industry was dying out with typically only older Koreans choosing to eat the dish.

In a survey released on Monday by Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and Education, a Seoul based think tank, more than 94 percent of respondents said they had not eaten dog meat within the past year and around 93 percent said they would not do so in the future. Jung Ah Chae, the executive director of the Humane Society in Korea, told the she was surprised to see the ban in her lifetime.

"While my heart breaks for all the millions of dogs for whom this change has come too late, I am overjoyed that South Korea can now close this miserable chapter in our history and embrace a dog friendly future," she said. This is a developing story. Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground..