Opposition from dog breeders has long stood in the way of animal rights activists. The latter can finally raise a cry of victory on Tuesday after the unanimous adoption by the South Korean parliament of a bill banning the trade in dog meat.
The South Korean National Assembly voted in favor of the text (208 votes for, 0 against) which will come into force after a grace period of three years. Breeding, selling and slaughtering dogs for consumption will be punishable by up to three years in prison and a fine of 30 million won (20,800 euros).
A million dogs killed every year
Activists welcomed the adoption of the text, such as JungAh Chae, executive director of the Humane Society International/Korea organization: “Today, our legislators acted decisively to make this a reality.” “I am delighted that South Korea can now close this miserable chapter in our history and open up to a future” that will respect dogs, she added.
Dog meat has long been a part of South Korean cuisine and up to a million dogs were once thought to have been killed each year for food, but consumption has declined sharply in recent years as Koreans increasingly more and more people are adopting pets.
In return for the losses of breeders of dogs intended for consumption, the adopted bill aims to offer compensation so that companies can withdraw from this trade. According to official figures, around 1,100 dog farms breed hundreds of thousands of dogs each year which are served in restaurants across the country.