campaign-korea Archivi - OIPA

South Korea’s dog meat ban: OIPA calls for transparency over the fate of thousands of dogs

oipainternational — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:29:47 +0000

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

Cc:
consul-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.

L'articolo South Korea’s dog meat ban: OIPA calls for transparency over the fate of thousands of dogs proviene da OIPA.

KOREAN GOVERNMENT’S NEW ATTEMPT TO LEGALIZE DOG-MEAT: IMAGES

oipainternational — Tue, 17 May 2016 11:52:36 +0000

L'articolo KOREAN GOVERNMENT’S NEW ATTEMPT TO LEGALIZE DOG-MEAT: IMAGES proviene da OIPA.

PETITION AGAINST CAT DOG MEAT TRADE

oipainternational — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:23:59 +0000

In 2004, the Korean government proposed legislation for the “hygienic control of dog meat,” arguing that the government regulation of slaughter was the only way to insure that the process would be done humanely and under sanitary conditions. While the proponents of this proposal argue that they are acting in the interests of animal welfare and public health, it was clear that the true motive for the proposal was to provide a backdoor to the legalization of dog meat.
IAKA sprung to action, calling on supporters to send a clear message to the Korean government to stop their attempts to legalize dog meat.
After many years of campaigning and petitioning, IAKA is happy to report that Korea’s Animal Protection Law has recently been amended to include tougher penalties for animal cruelty as well as stronger legislation to address stray and abandoned animals.
Additional changes include provisions to allow for better law enforcement by giving power to local governments who can appoint “Animal Protection Officers” to investigate cruelty and seize animals which are being abused. The amended law was passed in January of 2007 and will allow a one-year grace period, going into effect at the beginning of 2008.
We are happy to announce that the newly revised animal protection law has been passed and that we have succeeded in defeating the proposal for hygienic control.

For more info about Korean animals and IAKA-KAPS, please visit:

http://www.koreananimals.or.kr/english/

L'articolo PETITION AGAINST CAT DOG MEAT TRADE proviene da OIPA.

PETITION AGAINST CAT DOG MEAT TRADE

oipainternational — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 12:18:26 +0000

OIPA has learned that two million South Korean dogs are electrocuted, strangled, or bludgeoned to death each year. Then they’re boiled, skinned, browned by a torch, chopped up and eaten.
Recently OIPA closed the online petition directed to Korean authorities urging them to stop the government’s unfortunate and ill-judged attempts to legalize the dog meat trade.
During the past months over 30.000 signatures have been collected, people from all over the world have shown their support for these animals.
The signatures will be sent to “International Aid for Korean Animals” – founded by Kyenan Kum in 1997 for the purpose of establishing a non-profit organization, who works for the promotion of animal protection and humane education throughout Korea.
Korea Animal Protection Law was adopted 7 May 1991. Since then, the Korean government has attempted to revise the law on several occasions to open the door to a legal dog meat trade, but have so far been unsuccessful. IAKA and KAPS are constantly battling to strengthen this law and see stronger and clearer penalties for those who commit crimes towards animals.
Currently, the Korea Animal Protection Law is rarely, if ever, enforced.
The consumption of dog meat has a long tradition in Korea. Dog bones were excavated in a neolithic settlement in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.
Dog meat is generally considered a medicinal dish (either to improve male virility or to combat the heat in summer).Thirty percent are stolen from families that love them. Most are homeless dogs, captured by butchers and sold in open markets.
The tragic reality is that authorities are giving the dog meat trade their silent blessing by turning a blind eye to this outrageous bloodbath even though Korean law forbids the sale and consumption of dog meat.
In spite of a 1991 law which prohibits consumption of dogs and cats, a flourishing industry exists within the markets of Korea. Illegal and unsanitary dog farms are hidden in the countryside where breeders raise their stock for butchers.
All this cruelty has to be stopped.

Paola Ghidotti
OIPA International Campaigns Director

L'articolo PETITION AGAINST CAT DOG MEAT TRADE proviene da OIPA.