A recent study reveals that most South Koreans hold negative views towards dog meat consumption.
On the 8th, the Animal Welfare Research Institute Aware announced the results of a survey on Public Perception of Dog Consumption in 2023 conducted from December 12 to 17 last year, commissioned by Korea Research International. The survey polled 2,000 adult men and women nationwide.
Responding to the question “Do you intend to eat dog meat in the future?” 93.4% answered “No.” This is a 4.8 percentage point increase compared to the survey results in 2022 (88.6%).
Also, 94.5% of respondents reported not consuming dog meat in the past year.
When asked why they hadn’t consumed dog meat in the past year, 53.5% of the 1,889 respondents said it was because they felt emotionally repulsed.
Other reasons included the cruelty of the breeding and slaughter process (18.4%), the belief that the production and distribution process would be unsanitary (8.8%), negative views from society or those around them (7.1%), lack of taste (5.0%), and health concerns (3.9%).
When asked about supporting a legal ban on breeding, slaughtering, and selling dogs for consumption, 82.3% of respondents agreed.
This is a 9.5 percentage point increase from the 72.8% who agreed in the 2022 survey.
In response to a multiple-choice question about the expected effects if the breeding, slaughter, and sale of dogs for consumption were legally banned, the most common response was “the number of dogs suffering will decrease” (60.9%).
Other expectations included an improvement in society’s perception of animals (57.2%), a reduction in social conflict related to dog consumption (45.3%), an enhancement of the country’s image in the international community (39.8%), and a positive impact on public health (22.3%).
Lee Hyung Joo, the representative of Aware, said, “This survey proves that our citizens no longer consider dogs as ‘food’ and demand a legislative solution to the issue of dog consumption,” adding, “Citizens expect an improvement in our society’s perception of animals through the end of dog consumption.”
Lee stressed the importance of legislative and governmental action in South Korea, advocating for the National Assembly to pass the “Special Act on the Termination of Breeding, Slaughter, and Distribution for Dog Consumption.” He urged the government to efficiently and safely execute the process to end dog consumption, marking a significant step towards elevating animal welfare standards to meet the citizens’ expectations.
Meanwhile, the “Special Act on the Termination of Breeding, Slaughter, and Distribution for Dog Consumption,” which includes a ban on dog consumption as a key content, passed the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Food, Maritime Affairs, and Fisheries Committee’s review subcommittee on December 12 last year.
By. Min Jeong Kim
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