• The South Korean government has promised to ban the consumption of dog meat.
• The bill is expected to be finalised by the end of this year and to come into force from 2027.
• An ever-growing proportion of the population now regards dogs solely as pets.

Even today, it is estimated that 30 million dogs are killed every year for their meat across Asia. An aberration that, at least in South Korea, is about to come to an end. This is what the government has promised, committing to introduce a ban on the consumption of dog meat by 2027.

The South Korean government's promise

During a meeting between the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, representatives of the ruling party (the People Power Party) and several animal welfare groups, the Seoul government promised to introduce a bill to abolish the dog meat industry for human consumption by the end of this year.

A three-year transition period will be required, accompanied by a compensation scheme for industry operators (farmers, traders, slaughterhouses and restaurant owners). If this roadmap is adhered to, the ban will come into force in 2027. The news was reported by the South Korean branch of the animal welfare organisation Humane Society International (HSI), which was present at the meeting.

The end of dog meat is "a dream come true"

It is JungAh Chae, Executive Director of Humane Society International Korea, who describes the commitment to a dog meat ban as "a dream come true for all of us who have fought so hard to end this cruelty."

A cruelty that, moreover, no longer forms part of the local cultural heritage. It is estimated that over 6 million dogs have been welcomed as pets into the homes of South Koreans, out of a population of 51 million people. As a point of comparison, in Italy there are 8.8 million dogs for a population of nearly 59 million people. This is also why 86 per cent of South Korean citizens have no intention of eating dog meat in the future: this is the finding of a survey commissioned by HSI Korea.