The South Korean parliament yesterday passed a bill banning breeding, slaughtering and selling dogs for their meat, a traditional practice that animal rights advocates have called an embarrassment for the nation.
Dog meat has long been a part of South Korean cuisine, and at one point up to 1 million dogs were killed for the trade every year, but consumption has sharply declined as South Koreans embrace pet ownership in droves.
Eating dog meat is a taboo among younger, urban South Koreans and pressure on the government to outlaw the practice from animal rights advocates has been mounting.
Photo: AFP
Official support for a ban has grown under South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, a self-professed animal lover who has adopted several stray dogs and cats with first lady Kim Keon-hee — who is herself a vocal critic of dog meat consumption.
The bill, which was proposed by the ruling and main opposition parties, was passed unopposed by a 208-0 vote, with two abstentions.
It is to come into effect following a three-year grace period after it receives final approval from Yoon.
Under the law, breeding, selling and slaughtering dogs for their meat would be punishable by up to three years in prison or 30 million won (US$22,728) in fines.
“Now there is no longer any justification for being criticized as a ‘dog-eating country,’” said Thae Yong-ho, a ruling People Power Party lawmaker who proposed the bill.
“The ruling and opposition parties and the government must now take the lead in protecting ... animal rights,” he said in a statement.
Animal rights advocates and some lawmakers gathered outside the National Assembly to celebrate the passing of the bill, with people cheering and waving posters saying: “Goodbye dog meat consumption” and “dog meat free Korea is coming.”
“We reached a tipping point where most [South] Korean citizens reject eating dogs and want to see this suffering consigned to the history books,” Chae Jung-ah, executive director of Humane Society International/Korea, said in a statement. “Today our policymakers have acted decisively to make that a reality. 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.”
In a survey released on Monday by Seoul-based think tank Animal Welfare Awareness, Research and Education, nine out of 10 people in South Korea said they would not eat dog meat.
The vote was a pioneering decision globally, Animal Liberation Wave said, adding that it would pave the way for protecting the rights of other animals.
“The journey towards a ‘dog meat-free Republic of Korea’ can be a starting point for not only liberating dogs, but also presenting different standards and a future for other species of animals that are subject to industrial exploitation, such as cows, pigs, and chickens,” it said in a statement.
Previous efforts to ban dog meat have run into fierce opposition from farmers who breed dogs. The new law provides compensation so that businesses can move out of the trade.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary