Towards a fine for those who consume dog meat

South Korea is a G20 country, modern, industrialized and in many ways very close to the Western lifestyle. Except for a barbaric practice that remains in place despite international outrage: the consumption of dog meat .

However, things could change, at least in the capital Seoul . Two years after the closure of all slaughterhouses, at the end of January 2021 Yang Man-gyu, a member of the municipal administration, proposed to the mayor to ban the consumption of dog meat . The ordinance will be debated in February.

If approved, the measure would only be valid on a local scale. Regardless, though, it would still convey a fundamental message, “explicitly acknowledging that all dogs are beloved family members and must be protected from a dog meat industry that is cruel by its very nature,” comments Nara Kim. , which deals with this issue on behalf of the animal rights organization Human Society International . Today, the NGO adds, over six million dogs live in the homes of Korean families.

Sensitivity is changing, even in Korea

The sacrifice of thousands of dogs appears even more pointless in light of the fact that, nowadays, the consumption of their meat is anything but a cornerstone of Korean nutrition. To demonstrate this, Human Society International commissioned Nielsen to carry out a population survey in 2020.

The absolute majority of respondents, ie 83.8%, declare that they have not consumed dog meat or, alternatively, that they do not want to do it again in the future . In 2017, only 34.7% of the population was in favor of the hypothesis of banning it; just three years later, in 2020, this percentage had risen to 58.6%. Almost one in two people (47.7%) believe that the habit of eating dogs is no longer part of Korean culture.

Data on dog meat consumption in Korea

Despite this, according to the study by Human Society Internationak, there are still 3,388 restaurants in South Korea that offer their customers dog-based dishes. In the capital alone, Seoul, there are 436, that is more than one in ten. 

This figure makes it clear why there are still 2,861 farms where dogs are locked up in cages, crammed without enough food and water, always outdoors in any weather, only to be cruelly killed by electrocution. And 2,861 are only duly registered farms ; many others are abusive, but it is impossible to estimate how many there are.

At least in recent years the authorities have decided to permanently close some of the main markets . First of all that of Moran , located in the city of Seongnam, which had been active since 1960 and supplied about a third of all meat consumed in South Korea. The bulldozers went into action in 2018, just before the Winter Olympics ; the damage to image for the whole country would have been too high.