Restaurants that serve dog meat are dwindling in South Korea
as younger people find dog meat a less appetizing dining option and pets are
growing in popularity. Recent surveys indicate more people oppose banning dog
meat even if many don’t eat it.
In a statement, seven government offices including the
Agriculture Ministry said they decided to launch the group comprising
officials, civilian experts and people from related organizations to deliver
recommendations on possibly outlawing dog meat consumption. It said authorities
will gather information on dog farms, restaurants and other facilities while
examining public opinion.
“As the number of families with pet animals has risen
rapidly and public interest in animal rights and welfare has grown in our
country, there have been increasing voices saying that it’s difficult now to
see dog meat consumption as just traditional food culture,” Prime Minister Kim
Boo-kyum, the country’s No. 2 official, said ahead of the statement’s release.
The government says the initiative, the first of its kind,
doesn’t necessarily guarantee the banning of dog meat. The joint statement
noted that “public awareness of the basic right (to eat preferred foods) and
animal rights issues are tangled in a complicated manner” when it comes to dog
meat consumption.
The seemingly vague stance drew quick protests from both dog
farmers and animal rights activists.
Farmers say the task force’s launch is nothing but a
formality to shut down their farms and dog meat restaurants, while activists
argue the government’s announcement lacks resolve to outlaw dog meat
consumption.
Ju Yeongbong, general secretary of an association of dog
farmers, accused the government of “trampling upon” the people’s right to eat
what they want and farmers’ right to live.
Lee Won Bok, head of the Korea Association for Animal
Protection, called the government’s announcement “very disappointing” because
it didn’t include any concrete plans on how to ban dog meat consumption.
“We have deep doubt about whether the government has a resolve
to put an end to dog meat consumption,” Lee said.
About 1 million to 1.5 million dogs are killed each year for
food in South Korea, a decrease from several millions about 10-20 years ago.
Thousands of farmers currently raise a total of about 1 million to 2 million
dogs for meat in South Korea, according to Ju’s organization.
Ju said the farmers, mostly poor, elderly people, want the
government to temporarily legalize dog meat consumption for about 20 years,
with the expectation that demand will gradually taper off. Lee said animal
rights organizations want a quicker end of the business.
“South Korea is the only developed country where people eat
dogs, an act that is undermining our international image,” Lee said. “Even if
the K-pop band BTS and the (Korean drama) Squid Game are ranked No. 1 in the
world, foreigners are still associating South Korea with dog meat and the
Korean War.”
Lee accused many farmers of animal cruelty and other illegal
activities when they raise and slaughter their dogs. Ju said that activists
“exaggerated” such information, and that it only applies to a small number of
farms.
According to Lee, dogs are consumed as food in North Korea,
China and Vietnam as well as in South Korea.
In September, President Moon Jae-in, a dog lover, asked
during a meeting with the prime minister “if it’s time to carefully consider” a
ban on dog meat consumption, sparking a new debate over the issue.
Dog meat is neither legal nor explicitly banned in South
Korea. -AP
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