 |
| ▲ Rep. Lee Jae-myung (front row, R), the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, attends a meeting of party lawmakers at the National Assembly in Seoul on Nov. 8, 2023. (Yonhap) |
DP-dog meat
Main opposition party adopts outlawing dog meat consumption as official party policy
By Kang Jae-eun
SEOUL, Nov. 8 (Yonhap) -- The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) decided Wednesday to adopt a ban on dog meat consumption as an official party policy and seek to pass related legislation through the National Assembly within this month.
The decision was unanimously reached in a general meeting of party lawmakers, said Rep. Yoon Young-deok, the DP's floor spokesperson.
"We are seeing a growing number of pet owners, and there were heightened international demands calling for South Korea to ban dog meat consumption. We asked members whether to adopt it as a party policy and the proposal was accepted with unanimous consent," Yoon said after the meeting.
The DP plans to speed up deliberation of pending legislation with the aim of passing it through the National Assembly within this month, Yoon said.
Prospects for the passage of related legislation are high as the ruling People Power Party has also called for outlawing dog meat consumption while pursuing its own legislation.
President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee are known as pet lovers and live with four dogs and three cats. In particular, Kim has called for an end to dog meat consumption.
Animal rights groups immediately welcomed the DP's decision, saying it is a significant step forward in eradicating the practice.
"We really hope for the speedy passage of the special bill, without any more hesitation," said Kim Hyun-ji from the Korea Animal Rights Advocates, in a call with Yonhap News Agency.
Dog meat consumption has dramatically declined in recent decades amid perceptions that the tradition is becoming an international embarrassment. Still, advocates argue people should have the freedom to choose what they eat.
Efforts to end the practice have recently picked up speed at the National Assembly in recent years, especially after first lady Kim Keon Hee outspokenly showed her support for the issue.
As of November, there are five pending bills calling for a ban on dog meat consumption.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
