The South Korean parliament on Monday, passed a bill ending the practice of eating and selling dog meat, a move that has outlawed the centuries-old practice.
According to Reuters, support for the ban had grown under President Yoon Suk Yeol, an animal lover who has adopted six dogs and eight cats with First Lady Kim Keon Hee.
Eating dog meat was once seen as a way to improve stamina in Korean society. But now it has become a rarity, eaten mostly by older people, as more and more Koreans consider dogs as family pets and criticise the slaughtering of dogs.
Activists say most dogs are electrocuted or hanged when slaughtered for meat, though breeders and traders argue there has been progress in making the slaughtering more humane.
The bill was presented by the ruling party and passed by an overwhelming majority of 208 votes in the single-chamber parliament after the agriculture committee approved it.
The legislation will take effect after a three-year grace period. Breaking the law would be punishable by up to three years in prison or 30 million won ($22,800) in fines.
In a statement given by a member of the animal protection group, the humane society International Korea Borami Seo said: “The bill would see an end to the breeding and killing of dogs for human consumption, we have reached a pivotal point to spare millions of dogs from this cruel industry.”
The bill also includes compensation for businesses so that they can move out of the trade.
The Korean Association of Edible Dogs, a coalition of breeders and sellers, said the ban will affect 3,500 farms raising 1.5 million dogs as well as 3,000 restaurants.
