Dozens of South Korean farmers, restaurant owners and others involved in the dog meat industry rallied near the presidential office on Thursday to protest a push by authorities to outlaw dog meat consumption.
Key points:
- This is the first time the government is backing anti-dog meat legislation
- The proposed bill would phase out the industry by 2027
- Farmers argue the centuries-old practice would naturally fade away over the next decade
Earlier this month, government and ruling party officials agreed to introduce legislation by the year's end that would ban the centuries-old practice.
Individual politicians have submitted similar anti-dog meat bills in the past, but this marks the first time the government has decided to back such legislation.
About 200 protesters gathered for Thursday's rally, chanting slogans, singing, making speeches criticising the move and scuffling with police.
One protester said he would kill himself if the government and governing party move ahead with the legislation.
“We'll fight. We'll fight,” the protesters shouted.
Some farmers brought dogs in cages on their trucks but were prevented from taking them to the protest site.
A shoving match between some protesters and police occurred, with some farmers rushing to a street when a truck, apparently carrying dogs, approached.
Police detained three protesters, farmers said. Police said they couldn't immediately confirm the detentions.
Dog meat consumption is neither explicitly banned nor legalised in South Korea.
But there have been calls to prohibit it over worries about South Korea's international image and a growing public awareness of animal rights.
The bill pushed by the government and governing party would phase out the dog meat industry by 2027.
It would provide financial support to farmers for dismantling their facilities and opening new businesses, and offer vocational training and other benefits.
“To have a government-backed bill with the political will behind it to see it passed swiftly is a highly significant milestone, a point we have never reached before in this campaign to phase out this abusive industry,” the anti-animal cruelty group Humane Society International's Korea office said in written responses to questions from the AP.
The anti-dog meat campaign in South Korea recently gathered new momentum as first lady Kim Keon Hee, a pet lover, repeatedly voiced her support for a ban.
During Thursday's rally, protesters made crude insults of Kim.
Farmers are calling for a longer grace period and direct financial compensation for giving up their dogs.
They also say their businesses will naturally disappear when older people, their main customers, die.
“Most dog meat industry workers are in their 60s and 70s, which means they are seeking retirement, not new occupations,” said Ju Yeongbong, a former secretary general of a dog farmers' association who attended the rally.
“Since few young Koreans eat dog meat, the practice will fade away in the next 15 to 20 years anyhow,” Mr Ju said.
About 700,000 to 1 million dogs are slaughtered for consumption each year, a decline from several million 10 to 20 years ago, according to the association.
Some activists say the farmers' estimates are inflated to show the industry is too big to destroy.
AP
