Below is translation of lawmaker Dr. Pyo Changwon’s Facebook post on August 29, 2017:
Beginning in March of next year, with the revised Animal Protection Act going into effect, anyone engaged in cruel dog farming practices or slaughtering dogs using cruel slaughtering methods will be punished. The punishment for animal cruelty will also be doubled. I will introduce additional legislation to ensure the effectiveness of the crackdown. (Refer to Dr. Pyo Changwon’s Blog).
Since the dog farming and slaughtering industries that produce dog meat for consumption (dog meat, boshintang, or dog elixir) are in violation of animal protection laws, they could not continue to exist if these laws were actively enforced.
However, there is no punishment for distributing and selling dog meat. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs is responsible for enforcing laws regarding the dog meat industry, but since their main duty is to protect and promote the agriculture and livestock industry, very little is done to enforce these laws.
South Korea is an export dependent, industrialized nation, and we are concerned about our international status and image. Since dog meat consumption is an issue subject to international condemnation, the attitude of our government has been to hide and ignore the issue by excluding dogs as ‘livestock’ that can be bred, slaughtered, distributed, and sold under the Livestock Products Sanitary Control Act.
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