Thousands of dogs disappeared amid the transition towards the definitive ban on dog meat in South Korea

South Korea is moving towards the definitive elimination of the dog meat industry with legislation that will come fully into effect in February 2027. However, as the process of closing farms and slaughterhouses unfolds, uncertainty persists about the fate of tens of thousands of dogs that were raised for human consumption for years.

The law, passed in January 2024, requires producers and traders to progressively dismantle their establishments if they wish to access economic compensations offered by the State and avoid criminal sanctions that include prison sentences.

At the same time, organizations dedicated to animal protection warn that the lack of public information makes it difficult to know what happened to the majority of the animals that remained on the farms until a few months ago.

The number of dogs decreased while doubts about their whereabouts grow

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture of South Korea, during 2024 there were still between 400,000 and 450,000 dogs destined for human consumption. Currently, official estimates indicate that around 20,000 specimens remain.

However, the records of adoptions and transfers to shelters show considerably lower figures. By February of this year, only a few hundred dogs had been adopted and less than five hundred entered shelter centers.

This discrepancy fuels the concern of protective organizations, which consider the available information insufficient to reconstruct the fate of thousands of animals during the dismantling process of the activity.

A tradition in decline in the face of cultural change

For decades, the consumption of dog meat was part of some gastronomic customs, especially among older people and residents of rural areas. However, new generations have profoundly changed that perception.

Currently, most young South Koreans consider dogs as companion animals, a cultural transformation that has driven the social and political debate about the continuation of this practice.

Meanwhile, many breeders question the speed at which the ban is advancing and argue that the process affects their economic activity. In contrast, animal organizations consider the new legislation to be a fundamental step towards improving animal protection.

The new law seeks to close a historical gap in animal protection

One of the highlighted aspects of the regulation is that it ends a particular legal situation. Unlike cattle or pigs, dogs had never been officially classified as production animals in South Korea, which allowed the industry to operate for decades without specific regulations on animal welfare.

The legislation prohibits breeding, slaughtering, and commercializing dogs for food purposes, in addition to establishing a transition period for the definitive closure of farms, slaughterhouses, and establishments linked to this activity.

Additionally, those who violate the ban may face prison sentences of up to three years or significant economic sanctions, while the State promotes conversion programs aimed at facilitating the progressive abandonment of this practice.

With this measure, South Korea seeks to strengthen animal protection, align its legislation with the current standards of animal welfare, and respond to a growing social demand for more respectful policies towards fauna.