(HorizonPost.com) – When the world media began arriving for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, they shone a light on the country’s long-standing practice of using dog meat as food. President Moon Jae-in noted the populace’s shift towards keeping them as pets — he has even adopted one himself. In a recent meeting with Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum, he recently posed the question, “Hasn’t the time come to prudently consider prohibiting dog meat consumption?”
South Korea's president raises ban on eating dog meat: "Hasn't the time come?" https://t.co/f8NnE6seQh
— CBS News (@CBSNews) September 27, 2021
According to a September 2020 Nielsen poll on the matter, 58.6% of those surveyed support banning the consumption of dog meat, and 57% felt that the practice “reflects poorly on Korea.” According to the World Population Review website, people consume canine flesh in only six additional countries, including China, India, Nigeria, Vietnam, Ghana, and Switzerland.
The Korea Animal Rights Advocates group maintains a growing number of South Koreans see the tradition as animal abuse. Those who would see the tradition continue, like dog farmers who rely on it for a living, argue people should be free to make their own choices about what they decide to eat. The issue will likely be at the forefront as next year’s March 9 presidential election approaches.
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