S.Korea’s Moon hints at dog meat ban amid debate over animal rights

By Hyonhee Shin

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/skoreas-moon-hints-dog-meat-ban-amid-debate-over-animal-rights-2021-09-27/

2 minutes readhttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.481.0_en.html#goog_12887255340 seconds of 14 secondsVolume 0% South Korea hints at banning dog meat

SEOUL, Sept 27 (Reuters) – South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said on Monday there might be a need to prohibit dog meat consumption amid debate over the controversial practice and growing awareness of animal rights.

While no longer as common as before, dog meat is eaten mainly by older people and is served in some restaurants and can be bought at specific markets.

Moon made the remarks after being briefed by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum on efforts to improve the handling of abandoned animals and a mandatory registration system for dogs. read more

“After the briefing, he said time has come to carefully consider imposing a dog meat ban,” Moon’s spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said in a statement.

It was the first time that Moon raised a ban, which is likely to give fresh momentum to debate over whether to curtail the practice.

A dog is pictured in a cage at a dog meat farm in Wonju, South Korea, January 10, 2017.  REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
A dog is pictured in a cage at a dog meat farm in Wonju, South Korea, January 10, 2017. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

To boost their popularity, several presidential hopefuls have pledged to ban dog meat in recent weeks, especially as dogs have become popular as pets and advocacy groups have urged South Korea to close down restaurants and markets selling dog meat.

Lee Jae-myung, governor of the country’s most populous province of Gyeonggi and a leading presidential contender from Moon’s party, has vowed to push for a ban through social consensus.

But Yoon Seok-youl, an opposition frontrunner, has said it was a matter of people’s personal choice.

A poll commissioned by animal welfare group Aware released this month said 78% of respondents believed the production and sale of dog and cat meat should be prohibited and 49% supported a consumption ban.

But, another survey by polling firm Realmeter found people were divided over whether the government should ban eating dog meat, though 59% supported legal restrictions on dog slaughter for human consumption.

Dog meat sellers have insisted on the right to their occupation, saying their livelihoods are at risk.Reporting by Hyonhee Shin; Editing by Christian Schmollinger

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

4 thoughts on “S.Korea’s Moon hints at dog meat ban amid debate over animal rights

  1. “A poll commissioned by animal welfare group Aware released this month said 78% of respondents believed the production & sale of dog & cat meat should be prohibited & 49% supported a consumption ban.” Huh? Meaning 29% believed production & sale of dog meat should be prohibited, but not the consumption? How do you ‘consume’ dog meat if it’s not produced?

  2. My God! What’s more human-like than the mentally-tortured expression on the face of the Reuter’s Jan, 2017 photo of that dog who has likely heard & seen it all of what happened to those who went before him. Only mankind can turn living on this planet into a horrific nightmare.

    • Yes, that photo of that poor dog is horrendous. Your are so right: humans have turned our once-lovely planet into a hell hole of suffering, torture and death to all living beings. Perhaps our species will be gone this century–and any other lives who survive will breathe a sigh of relief.

Leave a comment