Anchor: The ruling People Power Party and government announced a plan to bring an end to the dog meat industry by 2027. This comes on the heels of the main opposition Democratic Party’s addition of a dog meat consumption ban plan to its party platform last week.
Tom McCarthy has the details.

Report: One of South Korea’s most controversial foods, dog meat, may cease to exist in the coming years as the ruling People Power Party(PPP) unveiled a plan with the government to end the trade.

The ruling party revealed on Friday that an agreement was reached with the government to pursue the enactment of a special law within the year to shut the industry down.

PPP Rep. Yu Eui-dong, who also chairs the parliamentary policy committee, said that the plan would see the special law fully prohibit breeding, slaughter and distribution of dogs for human consumption.

The plan incorporates a three-year grace period in light of the burden imposed by shuttering restaurants and supply-related businesses, with the government set to provide support to farms, slaughterhouses, distributors and restaurants facing closure.

According to government statistics, there are currently around one-thousand-150 farms, 34 slaughterhouses, 219 distribution companies and one-thousand-600 restaurants offering dog meat.

The PPP’s plan comes after the main opposition Democratic Party(DP) last Wednesday announced that a ban on dog meat consumption was unanimously supported by its lawmakers as an addition to its party platform and that related legislation will be introduced in the National Assembly this month.

Banning dog meat has long been pushed for by First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who together with President Yoon Suk Yeol is an avid dog lover and has adopted five.
Tom McCarthy, KBS World Radio News.