S. Korean farmers push back against plan to ban dog meat

PYEONGTAEK, South Korea — The dogs bark and stare as Kim Jongkil approaches the rusty cages housing the large, short-haired animals he sells for their meat. Kim opens a door and pets one dog's neck and chest.

Kim said he is proud of the dog meat farm that has supported his family for 27 years, but is upset over growing attempts by politicians and activists to outlaw the business, which he is turning over to his children.

"It's more than just feeling bad. I absolutely oppose these moves, and we'll mobilize all our means to resist it," Kim, 57, said in an interview at his farm in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul.

Dog meat consumption is a centuries-old practice on the Korean Peninsula. It is neither explicitly banned nor legalized, but more and more people want it prohibited. There is increasing public awareness of animal rights and worries about South Korea's international image.

The anti-dog meat campaign recently received a big boost when the country's first lady expressed her support for a ban and two lawmakers submitted bills to eliminate the dog meat trade.

"Foreigners think South Korea is a cultural powerhouse. But the more K-culture increases its international standing, the bigger shock foreigners experience over our dog meat consumption," said Han Jeoung-ae, an opposition lawmaker who submitted legislation to outlaw the dog meat industry last month.

Prospects for the passage of an anti-dog meat law are unclear. Surveys suggest that 1 in 3 South Koreans oppose such a ban, though most people do not eat dog meat anymore.

South Korea's dog meat industry receives more international attention and it is also the only nation with industrial-scale farms. Most farms in South Korea have more than 500 dogs.

During a recent visit, Kim's farm, one of the country's largest with 7,000 dogs, appeared relatively clean, but there was a strong stench in some areas.

Farmers also face growing scrutiny from officials and increasingly negative public opinion. They complain that officials visit them repeatedly in response to complaints filed by activists and citizens over alleged animal abuse and other wrongdoing. Kim said more than 90 such petitions were filed against his farm during a recent four-month span.

The number of farms across South Korea has dropped by half from a few years ago to about 3,000 to 4,000, and about 700,000 to 1 million dogs are slaughtered each year, a decline from several million 10 to 20 years ago, according to the dog farmers' association.

Ju Yeong-bong, an official of the farmers' association, said farmers want to continue for about 20 more years until older people, their main customers, die, allowing the industry to naturally disappear. Observers said most farmers are also in their 60s to 70s.

Agencies Via Xinhua