People participate in a demonstration calling for an end to dog meat consumption in Seoul on Oct. 29, 2023. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jan. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – The National Assembly was set to pass a special bill banning dog meat consumption Tuesday, paving the way for a legal ban on the practice that has fallen out of favor in recent decades.
The ruling People Power Party (PPP) and the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) have jointly pushed for the special bill that bans the breeding, butchering, distributing and selling of dogs for meat amid growing awareness of animal rights and an increasing number of pet owners in the country.
The bill also calls for providing state subsidies to help those in the dog meat industry switch jobs.
Law enforcement is slated to begin in 2027, after a three-year grace period, and violators could face a maximum two years of prison sentence or a fine of up to 30 million won (US$22,768).
According to government statistics, there are around 1,150 dog farms, 34 butchering businesses, 219 distributors and approximately 1,600 restaurants that sell food made with dog meat in South Korea.
Also Tuesday, the National Assembly was set to pass a set of bills calling for the launch of an independent space and aerospace agency.
Tentatively named the Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA), the agency will function as the local version of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration and is set to open in Sacheon, 296 kilometers south of Seoul, around May or June.
The plan was pushed forward as part of the Yoon Suk Yeol government’s long-term strategy to seek future growth momentum and establish South Korea’s presence on the world stage amid fierce competition for space projects worldwide.
(Yonhap)
