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| Image:Dog meat in south Korea resturant |
Eating dog meat was originally considered a means to boost stamina in Korean society.
On Monday South Korean parliament passed a bill for banning the killing dogs for the purpose of consumption and sale of dog meat, essentially banning the centuries-old practice.
Reuters reports that President Yoon Suk Yeol, an animal lover who has adopted eight cats and six dogs with First Lady Kim Keon Hee, has shown greater support for the ban.
Eating dog meat was previously thought to increase stamina in Korean society. However, it has become rare, consumed especially by older people, as many Koreans see dogs as family pets and disagree with dog killing.
Activists claim that most dogs get electric shock or hanged when killed for meat, despite breeders and traders claiming that progress has been made toward less cruel killing processes.
The ruling party presented the law, which was passed by an overwhelming majority of 208 votes in the single-chamber parliament after being authorised by the agriculture committee.
The law will go into force after a three-year grace period. Breaking the legislation might result in a three-year prison sentence or a fine of 30 million won ($22,800).
Borami Seo, a member of the animal protection group Humane Society International Korea, stated in a statement that "the bill would see an end to the breeding and killing of dogs for human consumption, we have reached a pivotal point to spare millions of dogs from this cruel industry."
The bill also provides compensation for business organisations that wish to quit the trade.
According to the Korean Association of Edible dogs, a breeder and seller group, the ban will affect 3,500 farms that raise 1.5 million dogs, as well as 3,000 eateries.