Dog meat restaurant owners sue government, citing massive compensation disparity

Officials from the National Dog Meat Association hold a press conference in front of the Constitutional Court in Seoul in March 2024, after filing a constitutional appeal and injunction request against the dog meat ban law. Korea Times photo by Park Simon

For 40 years, Shin Seung-cheol ran a dog meat distribution company that once recorded annual sales of 5 billion won ($3.8 million) and employed six people. Today, he spends his days selling vegetables at local markets, trying to earn enough to survive.

After the passage of the so-called “dog meat ban law” last January, which prohibits the breeding, slaughter, distribution and sale of dogs for food, Shin saw his business collapse. The stress, he said, even led to a cancer diagnosis. His family now runs what remains of the operation.

With less than one year remaining in the three-year grace period ahead of full enforcement in February 2027, dog meat distributors and restaurant owners across Korea are preparing for collective legal action.

The National Dog Meat Association says it will file administrative lawsuits next month against more than 50 local governments, with approximately 400 participants — representing around 10 percent of the country’s 4,140 relevant businesses.

Officials from the association say that despite repeated calls for adequate compensation, the government has offered no meaningful response.

“This is about the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of small-business owners,” said Park Myung-jin, head of the group.

Industry members also point to unequal treatment compared to dog farm owners. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs last September established a “dog meat ban road map,” offering subsidies of up to 600,000 won per dog to farm owners who voluntarily closed their businesses.

Those who closed earlier received more. Over the past year, approximately 70 percent of registered dog farms — 1,072 out of 1,537 — have shut down.

Animal rights activists rescue dogs at the livestock market in Gupo Market, Busan, in July 2019. Korea Times file

By contrast, compensation for dog meat distributors and restaurant owners has been limited largely to non-cash support. Measures include consulting for business closure, partial support for relocating or replacing signage, and job-seeking incentives through existing small-business programs.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also provided up to 2.5 million won toward nameplate and menu board changes for those willing to switch menus — but industry figures say this falls far short of what’s needed.

Budget disparities highlight the divide. The agriculture ministry allocated more than 70 billion won this year for dog farm closures and facility restructuring, while the food safety ministry budgeted just 3.9 billion won for related small-business support.

Activists argue that more extensive compensation, similar to the redevelopment program at Busan’s Gupo Market in 2019, is warranted. That program provided up to two years of living support, first priority for new commercial spaces and subsidized rent for participating merchants when the market was dismantled.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, however, said further compensation is unlikely. “We are operating based on the existing law and approved master plans,” a ministry official said. “Changes would require inter-ministerial decision-making.”

The association’s lawsuit plans represent growing pushback from small-business owners who say their livelihoods are being sacrificed as Korea transitions away from dog meat consumption — a shift driven by evolving public sentiment and global criticism.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.