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South Korea’s dog meat industry up in arms over Bill banning the trade

2024-01-11 00:00:00.0 海峡时报-亚洲原网页

The recent dog meat ban in South Korea has had dog farmers up in arms, with some threatening to unleash two million dogs in Seoul.

The law, which is scheduled to take effect in 2027, has incurred the ire of the owners of dog meat restaurants and dog farms as they feel it was a “unilaterally pushed” legislation, according to English-language daily The Korea Times.

The head of an association of dog farmers called it “insane” during an interview on Jan 10 with local broadcaster SBS radio, reported Korea JoongAng Daily.

He said the Bill “violates the people’s basic rights – property rights, right to maintain a livelihood and right to survive”, and even threatened to release two million dogs in front of the presidential office as a last-ditch attempt to protest against it.

“Without proper compensation given to the farmers, all the remaining dogs (raised for meat) will go unleashed.

“It is our gesture of surrendering the dogs to the government,” he added.

The anti-dog meat Bill, which bans the raising, butchering, retailing and selling of dog for human consumption, was passed by the government on Jan 9.

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Under the Bill, those affected are to register their businesses and submit plans to downsize and eventually close down their operations.

Those who are registered will get funding from the government to shut down their businesses, and will be able to apply for low-interest loans to aid them in transitioning to another trade.

Those who violate the law can be jailed for up to three years or fined up to 30 million won (S$30,300).

According to JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of Korea JoongAng Daily, the association is demanding the government pay farmers at least 2 million won for every dog.

However, the government denied the request and argued that such compensation would be completely unprecedented.

In Seoul, many restaurants selling dog meat had closed even before the Bill’s passing.

While the demand for the once-popular delicacy has dwindled, restaurant owners continue to see regular patrons looking for the dish they find wholesome and delicious.

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“Hang in there,” a man in his 60s told a restaurant owner after having a bowl of dog stew, reported The Korea Times. “I will eat this for as long as I can.”

Restaurant owners told the paper they had run their businesses for at least 30 years, and they had no idea what to do next.

One said: “I doubt I can start a new business from scratch, especially in this economic recession. I just hope the government support money is somehow enough.”