South Korea's parliament on Tuesday passed landmark legislation outlawing the country's dwindling dog meat industry, including the eating and selling of dog meat, as public calls for the ban have mounted significantly amid animal rights campaigns and worries about the country's international image.
Some angry dog farmers said they plan to file a constitutional appeal and launch rallies in protest, suggesting that heated debate over the ban would continue.
Dog meat consumption, a centuries-old practice on the Korean Peninsula, is neither explicitly banned nor legalized in South Korea. Recent surveys show more people want its ban and a majority of South Koreans don't eat dog meat any longer. However, the surveys also indicated one in every three South Koreans still oppose the ban even though they don't eat dog meat.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly passed the bill by a 208-0 vote. President Yoon Suk-yeol's government supports the ban, so the subsequent steps to make it law are considered a formality.
"This law is aimed at contributing to realizing the values of animal rights, which pursue respect for life and a harmonious co-existence between humans and animals," the legislation reads.
The bill would make the slaughtering, breeding, trade and sale of dog meat for human consumption illegal from 2027 and punish such acts with 2-3 years in prison. But it doesn't stipulate penalties for eating dog meat.
The bill would assist farmers and others in the industry in shutting down their businesses or shifting to alternatives. Details of outlawing the industry would be worked out among government officials, farmers, experts and animal rights activists, according to the bill.
Humane Society International called the legislation's passage "history in the making."
"I never thought I would see in my lifetime a ban on the cruel dog meat industry in South Korea, but this historic win for animals is a testament to the passion and determination of our animal protection movement," said JungAh Chae, executive director of HSI's Korea office.
The legislation left farmers extremely upset and frustrated.
"This is a clear state violence as they're infringing upon freedom of occupational option. We can't just sit idly," said Son Won-hak, a farmer and leader of a farmers' association.
Son said dog farmers will petition the constitutional court and launch rallies in protest. He said farmers will meet on Wednesday to discuss other future steps.
There is no reliable official data on the exact size of South Korea's dog meat industry. Activists and farmers say hundreds of thousands of dogs are slaughtered for meat each year in South Korea.
The anti-dog meat campaign received a huge boost from the country's first lady, Kim Keon-hee, who has repeatedly expressed her support for a prohibition. She has become the subject of withering criticism and crude insults during demonstrations by farmers.
The legislation doesn't clearly specify how dog farmers and others in the industry will be supported after the ban, which will likely result in continued animosities, observers say.
"Dogs are different from cows, chickens and pigs," said Kim Myung-ae, a 58-year-old Seoul resident. "Why would you still eat dogs when they are now seen more as family-like pets than food?"
Another Seoul resident, Jeong Yoon-hee, disagreed, saying whether to eat dog meat is a matter of personal choice and dietary culture. "Dogs are dogs, not humans," he said.
