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Chinese netizens laud South Korea’s dog meat ban, urge stricter rules in China

2024-01-10 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-亚洲原网页

BEIJING - A new ban on dog meat in South Korea has drawn praise from netizens in China, sparking an online debate on whether stricter enforcement is also needed in their country, where millions of dogs are consumed each year.

South Korea’s ban on the breeding, butchery and sale of dogs for their meat became one of the hottest topics on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo on Jan 9, after the National Assembly in Seoul passed a Bill to outlaw the centuries-old practice that had become controversial amid a growing number of dog owners in the country.

The legislation allows a three-year grace period until 2027, after which the breeding and killing of dogs for their meat will be punishable by a fine of up to 30 million won (S$30,300) or a maximum jail term of three years.

The practice is expected to be fully outlawed in South Korea by 2027.

A hashtag on the ban drew about 100 million views on Weibo in two days and sparked 7,229 discussion threads.

Many netizens in China said South Koreans were progressive for banning the dog meat trade, although some detractors argued that the new law disrespected citizens’ right to choose, and questioned why dogs needed special protection.

“Even (South Korea) has the awareness to protect its animals better,” said Weibo user Gushige from Shanghai, using a derogatory term Chinese netizens reserved for their East Asian neighbour.

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The user also pointed out that China does not have laws preventing the abuse of animals.

Netizens in China and South Korea often clash over the ownership of cultural traditions, but, in this case, Chinese netizens have grudgingly given props for South Korea’s ban on dog meat.

User fanxingdiandian from eastern Jiangsu province said: “Humans already use dogs as working animals to help guide the blind and for police and search-and-rescue work. They are also our companion animals.

“On top of making them work, and if they stop being useful to us in those ways, we should treat them as dog meat? That sounds immoral.”

Netizens urged Beijing to do more to protect dogs in the country, given the growing number of pets.

State media Xinhua news agency reported in June 2023 that the number of pets in China is expected to hit 446 million by 2024, citing industry figures. In 2022, there were more than 70.43 million urban pet owners.

The status of pets has evolved in China in recent years, as younger Chinese come to view dogs and cats as companions, rather than working animals such as guard dogs – a common sight in villages.

Increasingly affluent Chinese are also known to spend more on their pets, with the pet economy projected to hit 811.4 billion yuan (S$152 billion) in 2025, up from the 493.6 billion yuan in 2022, according to consultancy firm iiMedia Research.

But detractors wondered whether it was fair to legislate the right to choose to eat dog meat, and pointed out that it seemed inconsistent to protect dogs, but not other kinds of animals.

Media reports stated that South Korea had banned dog meat with support from President Yoon Suk-yeol, an animal lover who has adopted numerous stray dogs and cats with First Lady Kim Keon-hee, also a vocal critic of dog meat consumption.

Besides China, parts of countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia and Nigeria also consume dog meat.

“I don’t eat dog meat, but I certainly would not prevent others from eating if they so wish,” said Weibo user Tontrando from north-eastern Heilongjiang province.

“Why should dogs be treated differently from chickens, ducks, geese, pigs, cows and lambs? How hypocritical,” said another user, Zhinian_guhui, from southern Guangdong province.