South Korea banned canine meat. So what occurs to the canine?

[ad_1] Watch: BBC follows a canine meat farm rescue operation in South Korea

When he is not preaching the phrase of God, Reverend Joo Yeong-bong is elevating canine for slaughter.

Enterprise isn't going effectively although. Actually, it is getting ready to changing into unlawful.

"Since final summer time we have been attempting to promote our canine, however the merchants simply maintain hesitating," Mr Joo, 60, tells the BBC. "Not a single one has proven up."

In 2024, the South Korean authorities carried out a nationwide ban on the sale of canine meat for consumption. The landmark laws, which was handed final January, offers farmers like Mr Joo till February 2027 to shutter their operations and unload their remaining animals.

However many say that is not sufficient time to section out an trade which has propped up livelihoods for generations – and that authorities nonetheless have not provide you with enough safeguards for farmers or the estimated half one million canine in captivity.

Even those that help the ban, together with consultants and animal rights advocates, have flagged points round its enforcement – together with the issue of rehoming canine that, having been saved from the kill flooring, now face the more and more probably risk of euthanasia.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/62cf/live/7361fb80-4da1-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/62cf/live/7361fb80-4da1-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/62cf/live/7361fb80-4da1-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/62cf/live/7361fb80-4da1-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/62cf/live/7361fb80-4da1-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/62cf/live/7361fb80-4da1-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/62cf/live/7361fb80-4da1-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/62cf/live/7361fb80-4da1-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="News1 Joo Yeong-bong speaking into a microphone" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> News1 Joo Yeong-bong says he is frightened in regards to the repercussions of South Korea's canine meat ban

Halfway by the grace interval, canine farmers are discovering themselves with a whole lot of just about unsellable animals, farms that may't be closed, and little technique of placing meals on the desk.

"Individuals are struggling," says Mr Joo, who can also be president of the Korean Affiliation of Edible Canine, a gaggle representing the trade. "We're drowning in debt, cannot pay it off, and a few cannot even... discover new work.

"It is a hopeless state of affairs."

A storm of obstacles

Chan-woo has 18 months to eliminate 600 canine.

After that, the 33-year-old meat farmer – who we agreed to anonymise for concern of backlash – faces a penalty of as much as two years in jail.

"Realistically, even simply on my farm, I can not course of the variety of canine I've in that point," he says. "At this level I've invested all of my belongings [into the farm] - and but they aren't even taking the canine."

By "they", Chan-woo does not simply imply the merchants and butchers who, previous to the ban, would purchase a mean of half a dozen canine per week.

He is additionally referring to the animal rights activists and authorities who in his view, having fought so arduous to outlaw the canine meat commerce, don't have any clear plan for what to do with the leftover animals – of which there are near 500,000, in accordance with authorities estimates.

"They [the authorities] handed the legislation with none actual plan, and now they're saying they can not even take the canine."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/0018/live/2bda37d0-4d71-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/0018/live/2bda37d0-4d71-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/0018/live/2bda37d0-4d71-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/0018/live/2bda37d0-4d71-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/0018/live/2bda37d0-4d71-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/0018/live/2bda37d0-4d71-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/0018/live/2bda37d0-4d71-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/0018/live/2bda37d0-4d71-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Hyunjung Kim/BBC News Dogs in a cage" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Hyunjung Kim/BBC Information There are an estimated half one million canine remaining on meat farms throughout the nation

Lee Sangkyung, a marketing campaign supervisor at Humane World for Animals Korea (Hwak), echoes these issues.

"Though the canine meat ban has handed, each the federal government and civic teams are nonetheless grappling with methods to rescue the remaining canine," he says. "One space that also feels missing is the dialogue across the canine which have been left behind."

A spokesperson from the Ministry of Agriculture, Meals and Rural Affairs (Mafra) instructed the BBC that if farm homeowners gave up their canine, native governments would assume possession and handle them in shelters.

Rehoming them, nevertheless, has confirmed difficult.

Since weight equals revenue within the canine meat trade, farms are likely to favour bigger breeds. However in South Korea's extremely urbanised society, the place many individuals reside in residence complexes, aspiring pet homeowners typically need the other.

There may be additionally a social stigma related to canine that come from meat farms, Mr Lee explains, on account of issues of illness and trauma. The difficulty is additional difficult by the truth that many are both pure or combined tosa-inu, a breed that's categorised as "harmful" in South Korea and requires authorities approval to maintain as a pet.

In the meantime, rescue shelters are already overcrowded.

This good storm of obstacles factors to a perverse irony: that numerous so-called rescue canine, with nowhere else to go, now face the prospect of being euthanised.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/5837/live/450528c0-4d6f-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/5837/live/450528c0-4d6f-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5837/live/450528c0-4d6f-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/5837/live/450528c0-4d6f-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/5837/live/450528c0-4d6f-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/5837/live/450528c0-4d6f-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/5837/live/450528c0-4d6f-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/5837/live/450528c0-4d6f-11f0-ae6b-95949b4770ef.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Hyunjung Kim/BBC News A dog curled up in a cage looks through the grate" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Hyunjung Kim/BBC Information A mixture of things has made canine adoption troublesome in South Korean society

"It is simply unbelievable," says Chan-woo.

"Because the legislation was made in accordance with the calls for of those teams, I assumed they'd additionally labored out an answer for the canine - like they might take duty for them. However now I hear that even the animal rights teams say euthanasia is the one choice."

Cho Hee-kyung, head of the Korean Animal Welfare Affiliation, conceded in September 2024 that whereas rights teams would attempt to rescue as many animals as attainable, there would "be canine left over".

"If remaining canine turn into 'misplaced and deserted animals' then it is heartbreaking however they are going to be euthanised," she mentioned.

The federal government sought to mood these issues weeks later, saying that euthanising animals was "definitely" not a part of their plan.

Extra not too long ago, Mafra instructed the BBC it was investing about 6bn Korean received ($4.3m; £3.2m) yearly to broaden animal shelters and help non-public services, and would provide as much as 600,000 Korean received per canine ($450; £324) to farmers who shut their companies early.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/de2e/live/7a6c9820-4db2-11f0-84e5-a32bf281c393.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/de2e/live/7a6c9820-4db2-11f0-84e5-a32bf281c393.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/de2e/live/7a6c9820-4db2-11f0-84e5-a32bf281c393.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/de2e/live/7a6c9820-4db2-11f0-84e5-a32bf281c393.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/de2e/live/7a6c9820-4db2-11f0-84e5-a32bf281c393.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/de2e/live/7a6c9820-4db2-11f0-84e5-a32bf281c393.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/de2e/live/7a6c9820-4db2-11f0-84e5-a32bf281c393.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/de2e/live/7a6c9820-4db2-11f0-84e5-a32bf281c393.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Hyunjung Kim/BBC News A dog sits on a lead held by gloved hands, next to a row of cages" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Hyunjung Kim/BBC Information A number of farmers voiced fears for his or her livelihoods now that the canine meat trade has been banned

However Chun Myung-Solar, director of the Workplace of Veterinary Medical Schooling at Seoul Nationwide College, agrees that the federal government's broader plan for leftover canine is basically missing.

"There must be a concrete dialogue about methods to 'dispose' of the canine," she says.

"Each adoption and euthanasia must be on the desk. [But] if we have gone to the trouble of rescuing canine from merciless slaughter solely to euthanise them, it is comprehensible that folks would really feel heartbroken and indignant."

A livelihood unravels

Some have seemed for options additional afield, sending the animals abroad to extra keen adopters in nations like Canada, United Kingdom and the USA.

In 2023, a staff from Hwak rescued some 200 canine from a farm in Asan metropolis – all of which have since been despatched to Canada and the US.

The previous proprietor of that farm, 74-year-old Yang Jong-tae, instructed the BBC that as he watched the rescuers loading his canine into their vans, he was astonished by the extent of compassion they confirmed.

"After I noticed how they dealt with the animals - like they have been dealing with individuals, so gently and lovingly - it actually moved me," he mentioned.

"We do not deal with them like that. For us, elevating canine was only a solution to make a dwelling. However these individuals from the animal group handled the canine like they have been people with dignity, and that actually touched my coronary heart."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/550b/live/9340a330-4d73-11f0-afc9-09bce0ac0ae4.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/550b/live/9340a330-4d73-11f0-afc9-09bce0ac0ae4.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/550b/live/9340a330-4d73-11f0-afc9-09bce0ac0ae4.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/550b/live/9340a330-4d73-11f0-afc9-09bce0ac0ae4.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/550b/live/9340a330-4d73-11f0-afc9-09bce0ac0ae4.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/550b/live/9340a330-4d73-11f0-afc9-09bce0ac0ae4.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/550b/live/9340a330-4d73-11f0-afc9-09bce0ac0ae4.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/550b/live/9340a330-4d73-11f0-afc9-09bce0ac0ae4.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Hyunjung Kim/BBC News Rescuers carry a dog out of a cage" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Hyunjung Kim/BBC Information Some rescue organisations have opted to ship canine abroad to locations like Canada, UK and US

Mr Yang hastened so as to add, nevertheless, that he disapproves of the ban on canine meat farming.

"If canine meat is banned as a result of canine are animals, then why is it okay to eat different animals like cows, pigs or hen?" he mentioned. "It is the identical factor. This stuff exist in nature for individuals to reside on."

Consuming canine isn't the identical as consuming different meats, in accordance with Ms Chun. She factors out that canine meat carries extra danger from a meals security and hygiene perspective - particularly in South Korea, the place it has not been built-in into the formal, regulated meat manufacturing system.

And whereas consumption charges have fluctuated all through Korea's historical past, it has turn into more and more taboo in recent times.

A authorities ballot from 2024 discovered solely 8% of respondents mentioned they'd tried canine meat within the earlier 12 months – down from 27% in 2015. About 7% mentioned they might maintain consuming it up till February 2027, and about 3.3% mentioned they might proceed after the ban got here into full impact.

In the meantime, as of June 2025, 623 of South Korea's 1,537 canine farms had closed.

"As society and tradition have advanced, South Korean society has now made the choice to cease producing canine meat," Ms Chun says.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/6b01/live/99a0c170-4da4-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/6b01/live/99a0c170-4da4-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/6b01/live/99a0c170-4da4-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/6b01/live/99a0c170-4da4-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/6b01/live/99a0c170-4da4-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/6b01/live/99a0c170-4da4-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/6b01/live/99a0c170-4da4-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/6b01/live/99a0c170-4da4-11f0-8fe0-93859de315e8.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Hyunjung Kim/BBC News Rows of portable dog kennels sit outside near an airport, with people in green shirts standing among them" class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Hyunjung Kim/BBC Information Advocates are involved about what would possibly occur to the rescue canine in the long run

And but for a lot of it stays the cornerstone of an trade on which they've constructed their lives.

Each member of the canine meat commerce the BBC spoke to expressed uncertainty about how they might help themselves now that their longtime livelihood has been deemed unlawful.

Some say they've resigned themselves to lives of poverty, noting that they have been born through the Korean Warfare and knew methods to reside hungry. Others steered that the commerce may go underground.

Many agree, nevertheless, that for youthful farmers the crackdown is especially worrying.

"Younger individuals on this trade are actually going through a bleak actuality," Mr Joo says. "Since they can not promote the canine, they can not shut down rapidly both. They're caught, with no method ahead or again."

Chan-woo remembers that when he began working within the trade a decade in the past, at 23, "The notion of canine meat wasn't that destructive".

"Nonetheless," he provides, "There have been some feedback from individuals round me, so even again then I used to be conscious that it wasn't one thing I may do for the remainder of my life."

The ban got here faster than he anticipated – and since its announcement, he says, "Making a dwelling has turn into extremely unsure".

"All we're hoping for now could be that the grace interval may be prolonged in order that the method [of dealing with the remaining dogs] can occur extra progressively."

Many others are hoping for a similar. However because the canine meat trade is pulled out from underneath the ft of those that've come to rely upon it, Mr Joo can not help however speculate on a grim thought: that some farmers could not be capable to endure the uncertainty for for much longer.

"Proper now, individuals are nonetheless holding on, hoping one thing would possibly change – perhaps the grace interval will likely be prolonged," he says. "However by 2027, I actually imagine one thing horrible will occur.