Dog meat consumption in South Korea

Common card · No. 209196

While the consumption of dog meat is legal and practiced in South Korea, the dog meat industry is heavily restricted and soon to be illegal. On January 9, 2024, the National Assembly of South Korea unanimously passed a law banning the production and sale of dog meat, to take effect in three years. The three-year window is meant to allow dog meat farmers and vendors to adapt to the change by finding other sources of income. A 2022 survey of 1,000 South Koreans found that 78.3% had not consumed dog meat in the preceding decade, while 87.1% stated they had no intention of doing so in the future. Among those who had never consumed dog meat, the primary reasons were concern over animal cruelty (44.8%) and affection for dogs (33.7%). While most scholars believe there is no evidence that dog meat has ever been a key part of the Korean diet, the rate of consumption, legislation, and cultural practices surrounding its consumption have changed over several thousand years. For example, during the...

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