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| Livestock for some people, a pet for others. / Reuters |
By Jung Min-ho
Animal rights activists have welcomed lawmakers' moves to ban dog farms in Korea.
The Animal Liberation Wave has expressed support for the bill that, if it passes the National Assembly, would remove the legal basis for factory-style mass breeding of dogs.
The bill, which was proposed by Rep. Lee Sang-don of the minor Bareunmirae Party earlier this month, aims to exclude dogs from what the Livestock Industry Act defines as livestock.
"There are more than 3,000 dog farms where a million dogs get slaughtered every year," the group said. "We hope the bill will become a law to take the first step to end the dog meat industry in Korea."
The legal status of dog is complicated. Under the livestock industry law, farmers can pursue profit with livestock, which includes dogs and many other animals. But according to the Livestock Processing Act, dogs are not categorized as livestock ― a reason why dog meat cannot be traded through major distribution channels like other meat.
But it is legal for people to breed dogs and sell the meat, as long as they do not kill dogs in open areas or in front of other dogs, and trade the meat directly.
Regardless of its legal status, the culture of eating dog meat is dying slowly. According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the number of restaurants serving dog meat soup, known as "bosintang," decreased from 528 in 2005 to 329 in 2014.
