South Korea’s parliament has passed a bill banning the breeding, slaughtering and selling of dogs for their meat.
The national assembly voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the move, which will come into effect after a three-year grace period and pending final approval from Yoon Suk Yeol, the South Korean president.
Breeding, selling and slaughtering dogs for their meat will be punishable by up to three years in prison or 30 million won (£179,315) in fines.
Dog meat has been a part of South Korean cuisine for centuries, and at its height, up to a million dogs were believed to be killed for the trade every year, but recently consumption has sharply declined, as Koreans embrace pet ownership in droves.
Activists have long called the practice an embarrassment for the country.
Eating dog meat is something of a taboo among younger, urban South Koreans, and pressure to outlaw the trade from animal rights campaigners has been mounting on the government in recent years.
Official support for a ban has grown under Mr Yeol, a self-professed animal lover who has adopted several stray dogs and cats with Kim Keon Hee, the first lady – who is herself a vocal critic of dog meat consumption.
‘History in the making’
Activists welcomed the bill, calling it “history in the making”.
JungAh Chae, the executive director of Humane Society International/Korea, said in a statement: “We reached a tipping point where most Korean citizens reject eating dogs and want to see this suffering consigned to the history books, and today our policymakers have acted decisively to make that a reality.
“While my heart breaks for all the millions of dogs for whom this change has come too late, I am overjoyed that South Korea can now close this miserable chapter in our history and embrace a dog-friendly future,” she added.
