South Korean First Lady sparks controversy by calling for an end to dog meat consumption

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee (Photo: DPA).

The Korea Times reported that on April 12, Ms. Kim met with animal rights groups and declared: "I will try to end the practice of eating dog meat before the end of this government 's term. I think it is my duty."

The statement was later met with opposition from a group of dog meat farmers in South Korea, who argued that since Ms. Kim is neither president nor a lawmaker, she should remain neutral because the role of the first lady is to support the president.

"Siding with animal protection groups, which are interest groups, and calling for a ban on eating dog meat is clearly a political activity that goes beyond Ms. Kim's authority," the farmers' group wrote in a statement on April 20.

However, after Ms. Kim made the call to stop eating dog meat, lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties expressed their support for her.

Lawmaker Tae Yong-ho of the ruling People's Power Party proposed a bill to ban the slaughter and sale of dog and cat meat on April 14. A day earlier, lawmaker Kim Min-seok, a key policymaker of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, also said his party would push for a special law banning the eating of dog meat.

Dog farm owners say lawmakers and the first lady are ignoring the rights of those working in the dog meat industry. They say politicians and Ms. Kim are trying to appeal to voters as more South Koreans live with their animals.

The dog farmers group said it was unreasonable to ban dog meat eating just because more and more people dislike it. The group said they would hold a press conference in front of the presidential office in Yongsan next week to protest against the First Lady for trying to take away people's right to eat.

Ms. Kim has repeatedly expressed her support for a ban on all forms of dog meat consumption. She said the problem could be solved through policies, such as helping those working in the dog meat industry change jobs.

According to AFP , dog meat has long been a delicacy in South Korea, with about 1 million dogs believed to be killed for their meat every year. However, dog meat consumption has been on a downward trend in recent years as many people have begun to regard dogs as pets and companions, rather than food.

Some young people in South Korea also now do not want to eat dog meat and the government has also received a lot of pressure from animal rights activists.

Nowadays, many South Koreans keep dogs at home, but the country still has active dog farms, where these animals are raised to provide meat for food.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/de-nhat-phu-nhan-han-quoc-gay-tranh-cai-khi-keu-goi-ngung-an-thit-cho-20230422202120053.htm