South Korea bans dog meat

South Korea's parliament has voted unanimously to outlaw the farming and slaughter of dogs for their meat. The ban means that those who farm, butcher or deal in dog meat destined for human consumption could land a three-year prison sentence or a hefty fine of roughly $23,000.

Official statistics in South Korea indicate there are upwards of 1000 dog breeding farms, with around 1,600 eateries cooking up dog meat delicacies, underlining exactly why the nation's trade in dog flesh has been the subject of a decades-long heated debate.

Animal rights' crusaders are overjoyed, but dog meat traders remain vehemently opposed. To facilitate their transition, government subsidies have been made available to those directly impacted. Despite this, many individuals feel they're past the age of switching livelihoods and resent criticism of their cultural heritage. For many, limiting one's choice of diet is an infringement of human rights.

Although the debate's been passionate, a mere fraction of South Korea's population of 52 million actually ingest the meat. Younger generations overwhelmingly view dogs as pet companions and in a recent animal rights' survey, 93 percent of respondents claimed they had no intention of eating dog meat.

Once deemed a centuries-old local delicacy across parts of Asia, dog meat has already been banished in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the Philippines and certain cities in China and Indonesia.

Executive director JungAh Chae, of the Humane Society International in Korea, announced, "I am overjoyed that South Korea can now close this miserable chapter in our history and embrace a dog-friendly future."

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