South Korea could shut down dog meat farms.

In 2019, a South Korean court ruled to ban the slaughter of dogs for their meat; an important victory for animal rights activists, even if the consumption of canine meat was still allowed. The move was a decisive step towards banning the dog meat trade in South Korea, even though it only applies to the slaughter of dogs for their meat and not the consumption of the latter.

Even though the situation is still rather unclear at this time, anti-dog meat activists at Humane Society International / Korea believe it is one step further and welcome President Moon's allusion to a ban on dog meat.

SEOUL (September 27, 2021) - In response to South Korean President Moon's suggestion that it might be time for South Korea to ban dog meat, Humane Society dog meat activist Nara Kim International / Korea, publishes this response from Seoul:

“As a Korean who has visited many dog meat farms and seen with my own eyes the appalling suffering of the animals, I salute these words of President Moon and hope they mark the beginning of the end for the brutal dog meat industry. These dogs live a dreadful existence, locked in sterile metal cages their entire lives, most in a pitiful state of malnutrition, skin disease and fear, only to be painfully electrocuted often in front of each other. It's like a living nightmare for them, all to produce meat that most Koreans don't want to eat. Banning dog meat would be the right thing to do not only for dogs, but for South Korea as well. HSI / Korea is working with dog breeders who want to get out of this dead end business. Our agenda is helping them transition to more humane livelihoods, so we urge President Moon to push forward a ban, but also to embrace HSI's Farmer Transition Agenda to ensure phase-out occurs. with the support of farmers so that it is sustainable and permanent. Relegating the dog meat industry to the history books is within our grasp. President Moon first released a Blue House pledge in 2018 to consider removing dogs from the legal definition of livestock following a 1 million signature petition submitted by HSI / Korea and its KARA partners .

La Maison Bleue is the residence and office of the President of the Republic of South Korea. It is located in Seoul.

Facts:

• Although banned in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore, as well as in the cities of Shenzhen and Zhuhai in mainland China and in Siem Reap province in Cambodia, it is estimated that 30 million dogs per year are still killed for the meat in other parts of Asia.
• In South Korea, up to 2 million dogs a year are raised on thousands of farms across the country. Many of them are sold to butchers for the Bok Nal season in July and August, to be electrocuted and sold for soup.
• A recent opinion poll commissioned by HSI / Korea and conducted by Nielsen shows growing support for a dog meat trade ban, with nearly 84% of South Koreans saying they don't or will not eat of dog, and nearly 60% supporting a legislative ban on trade. Although most people in South Korea do not eat dogs on a regular basis, the belief that dog meat soup will cool the blood during the hot summer is still alive with many, and especially with the older generation. aged.
• In South Korea, there have been a series of crackdowns by authorities in recent years to curb the dog meat industry, including the closure of the Taepyeong dog slaughterhouse (the largest in country) by Seongnam City Council in November 2018, followed in July 2019 by the closure of the gupo dog meat market in Busan, and a statement in October last year by the Seoul mayor that the city is "Without slaughter of dogs". In November 2019, a Supreme Court ruled that a dog breeder who electrocuted dogs was in violation of the Animal Welfare Act, a ruling that could have huge implications for an industry that relies almost entirely on the electrocution as a method of killing.
• HSI in South Korea is partnering with dog meat breeders to permanently shut down dog meat farms and help them switch to alternative livelihoods as part of the charity's strategy to demonstrate that cruel trade can be phased out. It's a strategy that so far has seen HSI shut down 17 dog meat farms and save more than 2,000 adopted dogs from loving homes in the UK, US and Canada thanks to the help from investment partners.
• Of the more than 2,000 dogs that HSI has rescued from the dog meat trade in South Korea, most now live in the United States and Canada, with 30 dogs now living in happy homes in the United Kingdom. Pumpkin the Jindo in Surrey, Winston the Boston Terrier in Hampshire, Molly the Jindo Mix in Camberley and Penny the Spaniel Mix in Farnborough, were all destined to be among the over a million dogs allegedly electrocuted , slaughtered and eaten during the Bok Nal season, but which were rescued by HSI from the dog meat farms. Other HSI rescue dogs who now live happily in the UK include Nara the Jindo in Devon, Robin the Maltese Cross in Oxfordshire, Millie the Spaniel in Staffordshire, Sandie the Labrador in Nottinghamshire, Henry the golden retriever in Brighton and Roxy the jindo in South West London.

images and video of the closing of a HSI dog farm here : http://newsroom.humanesociety.org/fetcher/index.php?searchMerlin=1&searchBrightcove=1&submitted=1&mw=d&q=SKFarm16Rescue0520

Humane Society International and its partner organizations together constitute one of the largest animal welfare organizations in the world. For over 20 years, HSI has worked for the protection of all animals through the use of science, advocacy, education and hands-on programs. Celebrate animals and face cruelty around the world.