By Maryam Mohammed, BA Korean and Politics
As of the 9th January, the South Korean parliament officially put forth legislation banning all trade of dog meat. The decision was a highly anticipated one since the bill was proposed on 17th November. However, the topic of banning dog meat has been brought up frequently within the political sphere for many years. The ban prohibits all sales of dog meat within the country as well as banning all farming and production of dog meat. Violating this law can now earn criminals up to three years in prison or up to 30M₩ in fines. Action will take place in six months time, with phaseout lasting three years, making the consumption illegal by 2027.
Whilst the Animal Protection Act has prohibited brutal farming methods against animals in general for many years, the dog meat industry has been particularly under-regulated as dogs are not classified as “livestock” and therefore were not protected under the Livestock Processing Act.
South Korea’s dog farming industry and consumer base are extremely limited. According to statistics from Seoul’s Thinktank Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and Education shows that 94% of South Koreans hadn’t consumed dog meat within the last year. Additionally, while marriage and birth rates in the country are at an all-time low, the choice of having pets such as dogs has become increasingly more popular in order to combat the loneliness epidemic, with approximately six million dog owners in 2022. The consumption of dog meat has become unpopular in recent years, however, some individuals continue to enjoy it for its supposed health benefits in products such as “gaesoju”, a dogmeat-based medicinal alcohol.
While the consumption of dog meat has seen a decline since the Korean War in which meat options were scarce, the dog meat industry still had its place in the country, running 1,150 farms during 2023.
However, while this decision has been favourable to dog lovers and animal right activist groups across the country, those affected by the ban have been outspoken on the matter. Farmers of dog meat have taken to protest on numerous occasions since discussions of the ban first arose. While the consumption of dog meat has seen a decline since the Korean War in which meat options were scarce, the dog meat industry still had its place in the country, running 1,150 farms during 2023. This ban poses severe threats to the livelihoods of the farmers involved, resulting in protests outside the presidential office from groups such as The Korea Dog Meat Farmers’ Association. The Dog Meat Federation has requested 2M₩ compensation per dog and compensation for farming facilities. So far, the bill only gives farmers a three-year grace period which the federation has also requested be increased to ten years. Discussions are being arranged to go over the details of compensation.
The ban opens up discussions over the moral dilemma of eating dog meat as opposed to eating typical farm animals, and whether the ban is justifiable. Many studies confirm that pigs are more intellectually evolved than dogs, having intelligence greater than that of a three-year-old child. Subsequently, some groups argue that banning dog meat while continuing pork consumption is not a matter of ethics but rather a bias towards domesticated animals. On the other hand, groups such as the Humane Society are celebrating the announcement after many years of campaigning for the ban which, while only cracking down on a small market, is a big win for organisations involved and a step towards a greater collective empathy towards dogs. While the ban doesn’t address the ethical debate of meat consumption as a whole, for those who are opposed to the farming industry such as many vegans and environmentalists, it is a victory nonetheless.
[Photo Credit: Dogs Today Magazine]