South Korea is preparing to turn the page on a practice that has caused suffering to thousands of animals for decades: the consumption of dog meat. The law adopted in January 2024 prohibits the breeding, slaughtering and sale of dogs for human consumption and will become fully effective in February 2027.
This is a historic step forward for animal protection and an important sign of cultural change. However, as the ban approaches, one urgent question remains: what has happened to the dogs kept in farms and slaughterhouses that are meant to be closed?
According to reports, in 2024 there were an estimated 400,000 to 450,000 dogs being raised for meat. Today, according to data from South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, only around 20,000 remain. This dramatic reduction raises serious concerns about the fate of the animals removed from the system, in the absence of complete data, traceability and sufficiently transparent official information.
Animal welfare organisations have warned that many dogs may have been euthanised, sold, slaughtered or otherwise removed from any possible rescue and rehoming process. Available figures on adoptions and transfers to shelters appear extremely low when compared with the number of animals initially present on farms.
OIPA ETS welcomes every legislative measure aimed at ending the exploitation of dogs for human consumption. However, OIPA also stresses that a law can only be truly effective if it is accompanied by strict controls, animal traceability, rehoming plans and concrete support for shelters and organisations involved in rescue operations.
The end of the dog meat industry represents a crucial step towards recognising the dignity of animals. Yet no transition can be considered complete if the very animals the law was meant to protect disappear in silence.
OIPA calls on the competent authorities to ensure full transparency regarding the fate of dogs from farms and to guarantee that the phase-out of the industry is managed with respect for the lives and welfare of all animals involved.
Take action: ask for transparency
You can support OIPA’s call by sending a respectful message to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in your country, asking that these concerns be forwarded to the competent authorities in South Korea, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
If you are based in Italy, you can write to:
koremb-it@mofa.go.kr
These contacts are listed
Download the email template below and send your message:
CLICK HERE
Please keep your message polite and respectful. The aim of this action is to ask for transparency, traceability and protection for the animals involved.
