South Korea’s parliament on Jan. 9 passed a landmark ban on production and sales of dog meat, as public calls for a prohibition have grown sharply over concerns about animal rights and the country’s international image.
Some angry dog farmers said they plan to challenge the bill’s constitutionality and hold protest rallies, a sign of continued heated debate over the ban.
After a three-year grace period, the bill would make slaughtering, breeding and sales of dog meat for human consumption illegal from 2027 and punishable by 2-3 years in prison. It doesn’t provide any penalties for eating dog meat.
Photo: EPA-EFE 照片：歐新社
Dog meat consumption, a centuries-old practice on the Korean Peninsula, is neither explicitly banned nor legalized in South Korea. It has long been viewed as a source of stamina on hot summer days. Recent surveys show more than half of South Koreans want dog meat banned and a majority no longer eat it. But one in every three South Koreans still opposes a ban even though they don’t consume it.
The National Assembly passed the bill by a 208-0 vote. It will become law after being endorsed by the Cabinet Council and signed by President Yoon Suk Yeol, considered formalities since his government supports the ban.
“This law is aimed at contributing to realizing the values of animal rights, which pursue respect for life and a harmonious co-existence between humans and animals,” the legislation says.
Photo: AP 照片：美聯社
The bill offers assistance to dog farmers and others in the industry in shutting down their businesses and shifting to alternatives. Details are to be worked out among government officials, farmers, experts and animal rights activists.
Dozens of animal rights activists gathered at the National Assembly to celebrate the bill’s passage. They carried large photos of dogs, chanted slogans and held placards reading “Dog meat-free Korea is coming.”
Humane Society International called the legislation’s passage “history in the making.”
Photo: Reuters 照片：路透
Dogs are also eaten in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, North Korea and in some African countries. But South Korea’s dog meat industry has drawn more attention because of the country’s reputation as a cultural and economic powerhouse. It’s also the only nation with industrial-scale dog farms. Most farms in South Korea raise about 500 dogs, but one visited by The Associated Press in July had about 7,000.
Farmers were extremely upset by the bill’s passage.
“This is a clear case of state violence as they are infringing on our freedom to choose our occupation. We can’t just sit by idly,” said Son Won Hak, a farmer and former leader of a farmers’ association.
Son said dog farmers will file a petition with the Constitutional Court of Korea and hold demonstrations. He said farmers will meet on Jan. 10 to discuss other steps.
There is no reliable official data on the exact size of South Korea’s dog meat industry. Activists and farmers say hundreds of thousands of dogs are slaughtered for meat each year.
The anti-dog meat campaign received a huge boost from the country’s first lady, Kim Keon Hee, who has repeatedly expressed her support for a prohibition. She has become the subject of withering criticism and crude insults during demonstrations by farmers.
The legislation doesn’t clearly specify how dog farmers and others in the industry will be supported. Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung said on Jan. 9 the government will try to formulate reasonable assistance programs for them.
Ju Yeongbong, an official of the farmers’ association, said most farmers are in their 60-80s and hope to continue their businesses until older people, their main customers, die. But Ju said the legislation would “strip them of their right to live” because it would likely end up only offering assistance for dismantling their facilities and for transitions, without compensation for giving up their dogs.
Son said many elderly dog farmers are willing to close their farms if proper financial compensation is provided because of the extremely negative public view of their jobs.
Cheon JinKyung, head of Korea Animal Rights Advocates in Seoul, accused farmers of demanding unrealistically high compensation. She said compensation based on the number of dogs owned by farmers won’t be accepted, but acknowledged that payments would likely be a major issue.
Ordinary citizens were split over the ban.
“Dogs are different from cows, chickens and pigs,” said Kim Myung-ae, a 58-year-old Seoul resident. “Why would you still eat dogs when they are now seen more as family-like pets than food?”
Another Seoul resident, Jeong Yoon Hee, disagreed, saying whether to eat dog meat is a matter of a personal choice and dietary culture. “Dogs are dogs, not humans,” she said.
(AP)
南韓國會1月9日通過了一項具里程碑意義的法案，禁止生產及銷售狗肉，因民眾對動物權及南韓國際形象感到憂心，要求禁止狗肉的呼聲急遽上升。
一些憤怒的犬農表示，他們打算挑戰該法案的合憲性並發動示威，這表示對該禁令的激烈爭論仍在持續。
該法案將有3年寬限期，之後自2027年起，屠宰、飼養及銷售供人食用之狗肉將為非法，並可判處2至3年監禁。它並未對吃狗肉規定任何處罰。
吃狗肉是朝鮮半島數百年來的習俗，但在南韓既未明確禁止，也沒有合法化。長期以來，吃狗肉一直被認為可在炎熱的夏天帶來精力。最近的調查顯示，超過一半的南韓人希望能禁止吃狗肉，且大多數人已不吃狗肉，但三分之一的南韓人仍反對此禁令，即便他們不吃狗肉。
南韓國會以208票對0票通過了該法案，經內閣委員會批准並由南韓總統尹錫悅簽署後，該禁令將正式成為法律。尹錫悅政府支持該禁令。
該立法稱：「此法律旨在促進動物權價值觀之落實，追求尊重生命以及人與動物間之和諧共處」。
該法案將對犬農及相關從業者提供協助，輔導他們轉業。細節將由政府官員、農民、專家與動物權倡議人士共同擬定。
數十名動物權倡議人士聚集在南韓國會慶祝該法案之通過。他們拿著狗的大照片，高喊口號，手舉寫著「無狗肉韓國即將到來」的標語牌。
國際人道協會稱該立法的通過是「正被寫下的歷史」。
中國、越南、印尼、北韓及一些非洲國家也吃狗肉。但南韓因其文化與經濟強國的聲譽，其狗肉產業受到更多關注，它也是唯一有工業規模養狗場的國家。南韓大多數養狗場飼養約500隻狗，但美聯社去年7月採訪的一家養狗場大約有7000隻狗。
犬農對該法案的通過感到非常不安。
「這是一個明顯的國家暴力案件，因為他們侵犯了我們選擇職業的自由。我們不能袖手旁觀」，犬農及犬農協會前領導人孫元學（音譯）說道。
孫元學表示，犬農將向韓國憲法法院遞交請願書並舉行示威。他說犬農將於1月10日開會討論其他對策。
關於南韓狗肉產業的確切規模，並無可靠的官方數據。活動人士與農民表示，每年有數十萬隻狗被屠宰食用。
反狗肉運動得到南韓第一夫人金建希的大力推動，她曾多次表示支持禁令。她已成為犬農示威中被嚴厲批評及粗暴辱罵的對象。
該立法並未明確規定如何對犬農及相關從業人員提供協助。南韓農業部長宋美玲1月9日表示，政府將盡力為他們制定合理的援助計畫。
犬農協會幹部朱永峰（音譯）表示，大多數犬農年齡在60至80多歲之間，他們希望繼續做生意，直到他們的主要顧客──老年人──凋零。但他表示，這項立法將「剝奪他們的生存權」，因為它到頭來可能只會對拆除設施及過渡期間提供協助，而不會對放棄犬隻提供補償。
孫元學說，如果有適當的經濟補償，許多老年犬農願意關閉其養殖場，因為民眾對其工作之觀感極為負面。
韓國動物權利倡導者協會首爾分會負責人千真京指責犬農要求不切實際的高額賠償。她表示，以犬農擁有的犬隻數量做為補償依據是不會被接受的，但她坦言，給付款項可能會是個大問題。
一般民眾對該禁令則是看法分歧。
「狗與牛、雞和豬不同」，58歲的首爾居民金明愛（音譯）說，「既然狗現在比較被看做是家庭寵物而不是食物，你為什麼還要吃狗呢」？
另一位首爾居民鄭潤熙（音譯）則不同意，認為吃狗肉與否是個人選擇及飲食文化的問題。她說：「狗就是狗，不是人」。
（台北時報林俐凱編譯）
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You enter an old-fashioned detective’s office. The door locks with a click as a radio buzzes: “Rookie detectives, a priceless diamond is missing! Solve the case in one hour.” The room is filled with clues — photographs, coded messages and secret compartments. As the grandfather clock ticks, you and your friends must work to unlock the secrets. This is what escape rooms are all about — immersive adventure games where you solve puzzles and escape the themed setting within a time limit. The concept of “escape rooms” dates back to early first-person video games. In 1988, John Wilson introduced
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