Dog meat consumption in South Korea

Dog meat
Dog meat for sale in Gyeongdong Market in 2007
Korean name
Hangul
Revised Romanizationgaegogi
McCune–Reischauerkaegogi
North Korean name
Hangul
Revised Romanizationdangogi
McCune–Reischauertan'gogi

The dog meat industry is currently heavily restricted and soon to be illegal in South Korea. On January 9, 2024, the National Assembly of South Korea unanimously passed a law banning the production and sale of dog meat, to take effect in three years. The three-year window allows for farmers to find other sources of income.[1][2] According to a 2020 survey of South Koreans, 83.8% of respondents reported to never having consumed dog meat before.[3]

While most scholars believe there is no evidence that dog meat has ever been a key part of the Korean diet, the rate of consumption, legislation, and cultural practices surrounding its consumption have changed over several thousand years. For example, during the Silla (57 BCE – 935 CE) and Goryeo (918–1392 CE) periods, the practice was uncommon as vegetarianism was advocated by Buddhism.

Consumption of dog meat has experienced a precipitous decline over the past three decades in South Korea. This has been attributed to changes in legislation, the demographic decline of the minority that consumes dog meat,[4] and the increasing number of dogs owned as pets. Estimates of the number of animals consumed vary widely and are the subject of significant debate. Foreign media often quotes estimates of one or two million dogs consumed per year (statistics often produced by the animal rights group KARA), but some question the accuracy of the statistic.[5] In 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs reported the existence of 200 registered dog farms, although it suspected there were still unregistered farms in the country.[6]

The largest dog meat market, Moran Market [ko], officially shut down in 2018 following years of declining sales; though, some illegal sales were discovered in 2021.[7] In 2018, the Taepyeong-dong complex, which served as a slaughterhouse for dogs, was closed by the South Korean government.[8][9] This move came five years after a vote by the city council of Seongnam, the city where the slaughterhouse was located.[8][9]

  1. ^ Mackenzie, Jean (January 9, 2024). "South Korea parliament passes law banning dog meat". BBC News. Archived from the original on January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  2. ^ "Selling dog meat to be illegal in South Korea". euronews. January 9, 2024. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  3. ^ "식국민 84% "개고기 소비한 적 없고, 먹을 생각 없다"". Hankyoreh News. October 23, 2020. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ "Is it true that Korea consumes 1 million dogs per year?". SBS News. September 9, 2021. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  6. ^ "Are dog farms for dog meat soup illegal?". Money Today. June 23, 2020. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  7. ^ "도살장 없다는 모란시장, 개196마리 불법 도살했다". July 9, 2021. Archived from the original on October 2, 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "South Korea to bulldoze dog slaughterhouse". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. November 23, 2018. Archived from the original on November 23, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference dogsrule was invoked but never defined (see the help page).