Members of the animal protection group 'Catch Dog Team' are holding a protest against dog meat consumption at Moran Market in Seongnam on the 25th. [Captured from Catch Dog Team YouTube]
On the weekend of the 25th, dozens of members of an animal organization visited Moran Market in Seongnam to hold a protest rally against dog meat consumption.
Members of the animal protection group ‘Catch Dog Team’ held a protest rally in front of Moran Market from 1 p.m. that day. They then carried signs with slogans such as ‘No Breeding,’ ‘No Slaughter,’ and ‘Abolish Dog Meat Consumption Violating Human Rights,’ marching through the market and surrounding streets. They criticized the government for granting a three-year grace period before enforcement, accusing the Dog Meat Association of exploiting this to engage in indiscriminate breeding and slaughter. They claimed that the association estimates the annual income per dog at 400,000 won, and with the three-year grace period plus two years for transitioning to other work, they are demanding an absurd compensation of 2 million won per dog over five years. Police also arrived, fearing physical clashes. Moran Market was once known as the largest dog meat distribution market in the country, but now only about 20 stores, including health centers and regular restaurants, remain.
Members of the animal protection group 'Catch Dog Team' are holding a protest against dog meat consumption at Moran Market in Seongnam on the 25th. [Captured from Catch Dog Team YouTube]
The Dog Meat Consumption Prohibition Act, promulgated last February (Special Act on the Termination of Breeding, Slaughter, and Distribution of Dogs for Food Purposes), prohibits breeding, raising, or slaughtering dogs for food purposes, as well as distributing or selling foods cooked or processed using dogs or dog-derived ingredients. Violators who slaughter dogs for food purposes face up to three years in prison or fines up to 30 million won, while those involved in breeding, raising, or distribution face up to two years in prison or fines up to 20 million won. The penalty provisions will take effect in 2027, three years after the law’s promulgation.
In front of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Jongno-gu, Seoul, officials from the Korea Dog Meat Association are holding a press conference urging the cessation of the policy to eradicate dog meat farms. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
The government plans to allow a three-year grace period for penalties, considering the time needed for related industry workers to transition or close their businesses, and will engage in discussions with the industry regarding compensation measures. In March, the Dog Meat Association filed a constitutional appeal and a request for suspension of enforcement, arguing that the Dog Meat Consumption Prohibition Act infringes on the public’s freedom to choose their food and violates the freedom of occupation and property rights of those working in the related industry.
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