Cases of Protected or Managed Meat Dogs Are Almost Nonexistent
About 150,000 Sent to Slaughterhouses After Farm Closures
One year has passed since the enforcement of the so-called "Kim Geonhee Act," officially known as the Special Act on the End of Breeding, Slaughter, and Distribution of Dogs for Meat Consumption (Dog Meat Consumption Ban Act). This law, effective from February 2027, completely prohibits the breeding of dogs for meat consumption purposes.
This legislation was a reflection of the strong will of First Lady Kim Geonhee during the administration of President Yoon Suk-yeol. The initiative was sparked when Kim expressed her regret over animal abuse during a meeting with animal protection groups, and the law was subsequently enacted through bipartisan agreement. Violations of the law are punishable by up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won for slaughter, and up to two years in prison or a fine of up to 20 million won for breeding, propagation, or distribution.
However, it has been found that less than 0.1% of dogs bred for meat consumption have been adopted or received protective management. Tens of thousands of dogs still remain in the meat distribution network, and effective measures for their protection or transition have been slow to materialize.
Kim Geonhee speaking at the 2023 press conference urging the end of dog meat consumption Photo by Yonhap News
According to data obtained by Chun Haram, a member of the Reform New Party, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, not a single dog bred for meat consumption has been protected or managed by the state or local governments since the law was enforced. Only 455 cases of adoption by animal groups or conversion to companion or guard dogs have been recorded. This figure is less than 0.1% of the 466,500 dogs bred for meat consumption at the time the law was enacted.
The government announced plans to invest more than 300 billion won over three years to support farm closures and business transitions. However, the 1.5 billion won budget allocated this year for the protection of remaining dogs has not been spent. Instead, 36.19 billion won was paid out solely as closure support funds, and an additional 83.4 billion won in reserve funds was used.
In reality, 39.8% of the 1,537 dog breeding farms have closed, but it is estimated that most of the approximately 150,000 dogs they raised were sent to slaughterhouses.
In addition, the slow pace of closures among slaughterhouses, distribution companies, and food service establishments has been highlighted as a problem. Only 9.5% of the 221 slaughterhouses have closed, and the closure rates for distribution and food service businesses remain at around 1% each.
Chun criticized, "This is an administrative measure that could result in the mass slaughter of all dogs within three years."
During the legislative process, both ruling and opposition parties agreed on the need to ban dog meat consumption, but the industry strongly opposed the measure, calling it "legislation without alternatives." There is a growing call for effective policies that go beyond a simple ban, including protection and adoption of remaining dogs, support for industry transition, and dismantling of the distribution network.
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