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Below is an English translation by Google Translate of the article on Korean News YTN (신고돼도 영업하는 개 도살장…단속·처벌 ‘사각지대’), Dog slaughterhouses open even after being reported… Crackdowns and punishment ‘blind spot.’ 6/8/2023.

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At a dog slaughterhouse in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province, a report was received that dogs were waiting for slaughter in poor conditions, and the police launched an investigation, but the slaughterhouse is still operating.

As each law has different regulations and interpretations regarding dog meat and dog slaughter, it is not easy to eradicate animal cruelty at dog slaughterhouses.

This is reporter Yoo Seo-hyun.

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Dogs are crammed close to each other in cramped cages.

When was the last time it was cleaned, the floor is overflowing with filth.

Early last month, about 20 dogs were rescued from a truck inside a dog slaughterhouse that had been in operation for over 20 years and moved to a nearby protection center.

[Ahn Jong-min / Animal Group Catch Dog official: It was a situation where three Tosa dogs weighing close to 60 kg were stacked one on top of another in a cage that was less than 1 m wide and vertical. Hands and feet coming out of the cage, and the whole body is bent… .]

The local government reported the truck owner to the police for animal abuse, but the dog’s cry is still leaking from the slaughterhouse I visited 10 days later.

The Enforcement Rules of the Animal Protection Act, revised last April, prohibit killing animals without a permit or license.

Since dog slaughter is not subject to permission in the first place, the basis for punishing dog slaughterhouse owners for animal cruelty has been prepared.

However, dog slaughterhouses are operating everywhere because it is ambiguous whether eating dog meat is legal or illegal.

Under the Livestock Sanitation Control Act, dogs are not classified as ‘livestock for consumption’.

On the other hand, the Livestock Act defines dogs as livestock alongside animals from which meat, eggs, and milk can be obtained.

So dog slaughterers claim that it is legal to raise and slaughter dogs for food, such as cattle, pigs, and chickens.

[Joo Young-bong / Head of the Fight for the Right to Survival of the Dog Breeding Association: Since dogs are property under the Livestock Act, breeding, slaughtering, distributing, and eating dogs is not a problem at all.]

While the status of dogs differs from law to law, and interpretations of dog meat differ, the government is refusing to stipulate a ban on dog eating or a social consensus is needed to crack down on slaughterhouses.

[Han Joo-hyun / Attorney: Even now (slaughterhouses) are all illegal, but dog meat is not explicitly banned, so no one is doing anything about it. … It is true that the law is not perfect. It should be supplemented.]

The ‘Committee to Discuss Dog Eating Issues’ launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs last year is also unable to come to a conclusion even after extending the activity period indefinitely.

It is pointed out that the confusion surrounding dog breeding, slaughter, and dog meat can be resolved only when the government steps in and collects public opinion, rather than leaving it as a difficult problem to solve.

This is YTN Yoo Seohyun.

Cinematographer: Shin Hong

Graphics: Hwang Hyun-jung