 |
| From left, Reps. Han Jeong-ae, Nam In-soon, Ko Min-jung and Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party of Korea, Seoul City Councilor Kim Ji-hyang and HSI Korea Executive Director Chae Jung-ah hold a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul, Monday, calling for a legislative ban on the consumption of dog meat. Newsis |
By Lee Hae-rin
Lawmakers and animal rights advocates joined forces, Monday, to urge the National Assembly to introduce a legislative bill that will permanently end the consumption of dog meat and eliminate the cruel industry.
The group of four lawmakers, all of whom are from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, one Seoul City councilor and an animal rights advocate delivered their message in a press conference at the Assembly in Seoul, one day ahead of this year's "chobok," which marks the beginning of the hottest part of summer.
Traditionally, Koreans consumed dog meat on the day to replenish their strength against the hot weather, but this practice has been on a sharp decline, and more people opt for samgyetang, a soup containing chicken and ginseng.
The press conference also took place on the sidelines of the Beyond Prejudice exhibition hosted by Humane Society International (HSI) Korea starting the same day. Calling for an end to the dog meat trade, the exhibition features the country's previous legislative measures regarding the ban and the group's work of closing down 18 dog meat farms, rescuing over 2,700 dogs and supporting the farmers' transition to other professions.
Rep. Han Jeong-ae of the DPK, who heads the National Assembly's animal welfare forum and proposed a bill to end the dog meat trade last month, underscored the illegality of the industry.
"Dogs are not classified as livestock under the Livestock Products Sanitary Act and trading dog meat for human consumption is subject to a maximum five-year prison term or 50 million won ($38,300) in fines under the Food Sanitary Act," the lawmaker said, highlighting the need for a legal system to monitor and end the illegal trade more effectively.
Her bill aims to ban the killing and sale of dogs and cats for human consumption and to provide financial aid and professional guidance for people in the industry to transition to another industry. Rep. Tae Yong-ho of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) also proposed a similar amendment bill to the Animal Protection Act in April.
Kim Ji-hyang, a PPP member of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, also proposed an ordinance in May, which is pending at council due to a "lack of social consensus" and fierce opposition from stakeholders in the dog meat industry.
According to the latest government statistics, 1,156 dog meat farms are raising around 520,000 dogs for human consumption across the country, in connection with 1,666 restaurants.
An overwhelming 87.5 percent of Koreans said they would never consume dog meat while 56 percent agreed the dog meat trade needs to be brought to an end ― a whopping leap from 2017's 35 percent, according to Nielsen Korea's survey conducted in October by request of HSI Korea.
The exhibition, also featuring one of the 17 portraits of rescued dogs by award-winning French photographer Sophie Gamand showcased at downtown Seoul's Gyeongbokgung Station during the previous exhibition in May, runs through Friday in the lobby of the National Assembly's Members' Office Building. Admission is free.
![[INTERVIEW] Hip-hop group Uptown returns after 13 years with new lineup](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/0eae35da5e9c40c38cf439e550a2eb3e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] ASTRO members aim to shine in musical theater](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/df16760dc50f469d93434f66a069465c.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
