[Hwankyung Ilbo] A special law to end sale and production of dog meat passed the National Assembly plenary session on January 9. It will ban sale and production of dog meat starting in 2027.
The special law passed as an alternative explicitly prohibits not only the breeding, multiplication and slaughter of dogs for human consumption, but also the distribution and sale of dogs or food prepared or processed with dogs as ingredients, with criminal penalties for violations.
However, the penalties for violating the ban on breeding, slaughtering, and distribution will be enforced three years after its promulgation. This means that it will be illegal to manufacture and distribute dog meat from 2027.
In addition, to ensure that related industries and workers who are forced to close down, such as dog breeders, can continue stable economic activities, national or local governments are obligated to provide necessary support for closing down and changing jobs.
Despite the passage of the special law, industry backlash seems inevitable. Even before the passage of the special law, dog breeders' associations and merchants' associations criticized the government and the National Assembly for infringing on their freedom of choice of food and occupation.
In particular, the government's announcement that it will provide industry transition support for farmers, slaughterhouses, distributors, and restaurants that are forced to change jobs or go out of business is criticized as "not even close to the level of support for the closure of beef and goat farming."
The government is considering compensating farmers who go out of business or switch industries with low-interest loans, but dog breeders are demanding direct compensation.
They claim that if the special law is implemented, the government will have to pay 2 million won per dog to compensate for business losses, which is expected to cost trillions of won, with additional funds needed for relocation and closure.
There's also the question of what to do with dogs previously raised for food.
In addition to banning the consumption of dog meat, it is also argued that the buying and selling of dogs should be strictly regulated to eliminate so-called "puppy mills".
A Korean version of the Lucy Act has been proposed in the National Assembly, and the bill seeks to prevent auctions and speculation of animals that promote indiscriminate breeding, restrict the sale of baby animals (under six months old) that need their mothers' care and third-party transactions, and ensure sufficient management personnel at the business premises.
According to the 2022 government statistics, there are 2086 production facilities and 3944 sales outlets (3926 pet shops and 18 auction houses) operating in South Korea, and there are many unlicensed production facilities that are not captured in the statistics.
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