Why South Korea is banning the sale of dog meat

• The South Korean dog meat trade will officially end in 2027 after a bill was passed making the slaughter of dogs and the sale of dog meat for human consumption illegal in the country (though the consumption of dog meat will still be legal).
• The news has been embraced in South Korea as a long-awaited victory by many animal protection organisations.
• Dog meat is the fourth-most consumed meat in South Korea after pork, beef and chicken.

Stigmatisation of a practice

• But an important moment of national and international friction around the practice occurred in the run-up to the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
• Influential South Korean public and political figures took a public stance in favour of dog meat as a national cultural symbol.
• It was reported that the hiding of dog meat restaurant signs and dog carcasses had once again been introduced by the government.

A practice in sharp decline

• In recent decades, a civil movement led by animal protection charities has campaigned for the end of the trade.
• It could be argued that the COVID pandemic has also played a part in the sharp fall in dog meat consumption in recent years.
• Since then, municipal authorities have opened a dialogue with dog retailers to negotiate the demolition of dog slaughtering facilities.

The perspective of the dog farmers

• Since 2014, some of these municipalities have agreed to compensate dog meat retailers for closing dog meat stalls in traditional markets.
• However, now that a full ban is coming into effect, dog meat farmers are requesting compensation schemes as this new law will directly affect their livelihoods.
• The Korean Dog Meat Association has been arguing that the bill represents an abuse of power that overlooks the perspective of many South Koreans, and that it infringes on the right to choose what one wants to eat.

Julien Dugnoille received funding from the Korea Foundation and the Academy of Korean Studies to conduct part of the research on which this paper is based. John Knight does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.