Dog meat is officially off the menu in South Korea since lawmakers approved a ban on its sale on Tuesday, Semafor reported.
The ban will take effect in 2027 following decades of campaigning by animal rights activists to preserve the lives of pooches, according to Semafor. Only 5% of South Koreans reportedly ate dog meat within the past year as the country’s culture modernizes, and many in the area view dining on dogs to be a “societal sore” and “a punchline from outsiders,” the outlet reported.
🎉 BREAKING NEWS: After years of HSI campaigning, South Korea just passed a ban on the dog meat industry, marking a monumental victory for animals! This history in the making will spare millions of dogs suffering and we are so proud to have played our part in making it happen!… pic.twitter.com/p8IZOMu7uV
— Humane Society International/UK (@HSIUKorg) January 9, 2024
Approximately 56% of South Koreans support banning human consumption of dog meat as an animal rights movement emerges among the country’s younger generation, a poll from 2022 revealed, according to Humane Society International. Those under 30 who reported eating dog meat said they do so “because family members eat it.”
Consuming canine meat remains a popular practice in many East Asian countries, according to the Humane Society International. The dog meat trade is reportedly most expansive in China, South Korea, the Philippines, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Nagaland in northern India. (RELATED: First Chinese City Bans Eating Cats And Dogs After Coronavirus Pandemic)
Most dogs killed for human consumption in Asian countries are family pets stolen from homes or stray dogs found on the street, and approximately 30 million dogs are killed annually to be eaten, according to Humane Society International.
Dogs are also reportedly eaten in African countries including Ghana, Cameroon, DRC and Nigeria, the Humane Society International reported. However, this does not compare to the large-scale trading in Asian countries, the outlet said.