DOG meat farmers in South Korea worry for their future after lawmakers and animal rights advocates joined forces in urging the National Assembly to create a legislative bill that will permanently ban the industry in the country.
The centuries-old practice of eating dog meat is neither explicitly banned nor legalized in South Korea.
Over the years, its popularity has declined as more and more people want to end the industry for good.
Campaigners are pushing not only for public awareness of animal rights but also worry how the industry could affect South Korea’s international image as a cultural powerhouse and a home to K-Pop superstars.
For centuries, the consumption of dog meat in the Korean Peninsula has long been viewed as a source of stamina on hot summer days.
An opposition lawmaker who submitted a bill to outlaw the consumption of dog meat last month argued the industry comes as a shock to foreigners who perceive it. South Korea is a cultural powerhouse.
But efforts toward the passage of an anti-dog meat law continue to face obstacles due to protests by farmers, restaurant owners, and others involved in the dog meat industry.
According to the Dog Farmers’ Association, the number of farms nationwide has dropped by half from a few years ago while the number of dogs slaughtered each year declined from several million down to 700,000 to one million dogs.
