In South Korea, the question of whether to ban dog meat has been a particularly hotly debated topic until Tuesday, when the topic was finally closed.
On January 9, the National Assembly of South Korea overwhelmingly passed a new bill with 208 votes in favor and two abstentions.
The bill stipulates that anyone who slaughters dogs for food will be sentenced to up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won (about 160,000 yuan).
Anyone who keeps a dog for consumption, or knowingly buys, transports, stores or sells food made from dog meat, will also face fines and imprisonment.
(Dogs in a Korean meat dog factory, image from BBC)
The law will come into force in 2027, and over the next three years, the government will need to compensate those currently working in the dog meat industry and help them change careers.
It can be said that although the new law does not explicitly prohibit the consumption of dog meat, it has blocked the market for dog meat trading in South Korea at the source.
The introduction of this bill can be regarded as a complete farewell to the habit of eating dog meat in South Korea.
(Dog in cage ready to be transported, image via CNN)
In fact, Vietnam, Indonesia, North Korea and some other African countries have also maintained the habit of eating dog meat, but South Korea has been the most concerned.
Not only because South Korea is the only developed country among them, but also because of its unique "dog meat culture".
A few decades ago, South Korea's post-war economic depression and meat scarcity led to Koreans starting to feed on dogs.
Over time, eating dog meat slowly evolved into a "culture".
Koreans believe that eating dog meat is good for their health and is also a way to beat the heat in the summer.
(Koreans eating dog meat, image via Insider)
This culture has led to South Korea becoming the only country in the world where "industrial dog breeding" is carried out.
There are a number of government-licensed meat dog farms, the largest of which has around 7,000 meat dogs to be slaughtered.
Hundreds of thousands of dogs are slaughtered and eaten every year across South Korea.
(Slaughtered dog, image via ibtimes)
However, in recent decades, the consumption of dog meat in South Korea has dropped dramatically.
Because nowadays, young people prefer to think of dogs as companion animals, as part of the family, rather than as food.
According to a 2020 poll by Humane International, 84% of South Koreans have never eaten dog meat, and 59% support banning dog meat;
In a survey this year, 93% of South Koreans said they would never eat any dog meat in the future.
(South Korea protests against the dog meat trade, photo courtesy of Koreaherald)
Coupled with the advocacy of animal rights groups, there is a growing awareness that most dogs in these farms live in very harsh conditions, with them locked in dirty, small cages and eating rotten and smelly food.
(Dog in a cage, image via usatoday)
Reduced demand and boycotts have resulted in fewer South Koreans now eating dog meat, and the country's three largest dog meat markets have closed.
But even so, there are still about 1,150 dog meat farms and more than 1,600 restaurants selling dog meat dishes.
(Waiter serving dog meat dishes, image via azcentral)
In order to get the dog meat trade out of South Korea completely, South Korea's two presidents have made efforts.
In 2021, Moon Jae-in, then South Korean president, raised the possibility of banning the consumption of dog meat in South Korea during a meeting with the prime minister.
In 2022, incumbent President Yoon Suk-yeol took office and, with the support of his wife Kim Keon-hee, continued to push for a decree banning the sale of meat dogs.
It is worth mentioning that Yoon Seok-yeol is an animal lover himself, has adopted more than a dozen stray cats and dogs, and has even personally participated in a pet show on Korean television.
(Yoon Seok-yeol and his wife take their dog to participate in the show, picture from YouTube)
First Lady Kim Keon-hee has also campaigned for a ban on dog meat since taking office, and has repeatedly publicly criticized the dog meat industry.
Under their leadership, the two parties in South Korea also cooperated in a rare way to jointly promote the introduction of the bill.
(Kim Keon-hee, photo via Koreaherald)
Before the law comes into effect, the government will help dog meat dealers and restaurant owners find new employment directions and sources of income.
Based on past cases, these meat dog farms may be closed and converted into vegetable farms.
All the meat dogs in the factory will be taken away and awaiting adoption in Korea or overseas.
(Volunteers are rescuing dogs, image via nytimes)
On the other hand, the South Korean government will also compensate those who work in the meat dog breeding industry.
It is reported that the Korea Dog Meat Association asked the government to compensate each dog with 2 million won (about 10,000 yuan) to make up for the loss in the next five years and the cost of abandoning the facility.
However, the exact amount of compensation is still being negotiated.
(Meat dogs in the breeding plant, image from nytimes)
The reaction of the South Korean people to the introduction of the bill is also mixed.
Animal rights groups applauded this.
The executive director of the Korea Humane Association said she was heartbroken by the millions of dogs that had died tragically because the bill came too late.
But she is also glad that South Korea can close this sad chapter and embrace a better future for dogs.
(解救狗的志愿者们,图片来自Dailymail)
But there is another group of people who are quite dissatisfied.
In November 2023, while the bill was still being discussed, South Korean dog meat workers came to protest in front of the presidential palace, and even threatened to bring 2 million dogs to the presidential palace gate to release them if the bill was officially implemented.
The Korea Dog Meat Association also accused the South Korean government of "not having any discussion and communication with dog meat consumers or practitioners," which is a contempt and trampling on their work.
(Dog meat practitioner clashes with police, image via CNN)
After the bill was officially announced, several elderly people were eating a pot of dog meat in an alley in Seoul.
Kim Sun-ho, 86, was very disappointed with the ban, saying:
"We have been eating dog meat since the Middle Ages, so why should we be stopped from eating traditional food? Why is it forbidden to eat only dog meat and not beef?"
Another practitioner of meat dog breeding said that the entire industry is desperate at the moment.
"Those of us who work in our 60s and 70s are in our 60s and 70s, and in 10 years the industry will disappear naturally, but now we have no choice but to be forced to lose our livelihoods.
It's a violation of people's freedom to eat!"
Ms. Kim, another dog meat restaurant owner in her 60s, thinks it's all the fault of young Koreans.
"Nowadays, young people don't get married and see animals as family.
But food is food, and as long as it is raised and slaughtered in the right way, we should accept dog meat. ”
（正在烹制狗肉的店长，图片来自Dailymail）
After the bill was announced, it sparked a heated discussion in South Korea and around the world, and we can only wait and see how it will develop in the future......
(Schematic diagram)