Attaching the 'Kim Geon-hee Law' to the Dog Meat Ban Law Called "Genius Flattery"... Difficulties in Adopting as the People Power Party's Official Stance

Launch of a Bipartisan Lawmakers' Group to End Dog Meat Consumption
Continued Related Legislation Following Special Act Proposal
"Genius Flattery"... Debates Over Ruling Party's Official Stance

The long-stalled discussion on the 'Dog Meat Ban Act' in the National Assembly is gaining momentum. In an unusual move, 44 lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties gathered to jointly propose the 'Resolution to End Dog Meat Consumption' on the 23rd of last month, followed by the launch of a 'Bipartisan Lawmakers' Group to End Dog Meat Consumption.' The Democratic Party of Korea has announced plans to enact a special law, giving legislative discussions to end dog meat consumption unprecedented momentum. However, concerns about backlash have arisen as the People Power Party expressed intentions to push the bill under the name of First Lady Kim Keon-hee.

According to the National Assembly on the 17th, the resolution to end dog meat consumption is awaiting review by the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee. The resolution urges the National Assembly to elevate the practical responsibility unit for the social discussion body on ending dog meat consumption, established in 2021, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to the Prime Minister's office and to reach a social consensus by October this year. According to the discussed roadmap, the plan is to pass legislation related to ending dog meat consumption as early as November or by the end of the year at the latest. The resolution was created with significant participation from lawmakers belonging to the Animal Welfare National Assembly Forum (co-chaired by Lee Heon-seung, Park Hong-geun, and Han Jeong-ae).

First Lady Kim Keon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, is seen warmly greeting a pet dog raised by a market vendor at Gijang Market in Busan on the 14th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Even after the resolution was proposed, legislative enthusiasm for related laws remains high, with special laws banning only dog meat consumption continuously being introduced in the National Assembly. This month alone, special laws banning dog meat consumption (proposed by People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Byung-gil) and special laws to end dog meat consumption (proposed by independent lawmaker Yoon Mi-hyang) were introduced. Previously, lawmakers Lee Heon-seung and Han Jeong-ae proposed special laws to ban dog meat consumption and support business closures, and a civil law amendment was introduced to establish that 'animals are not objects.' Additionally, numerous amendments to the Animal Protection Act and the Livestock Act have also been proposed.

In fact, bills to ban dog meat consumption are not a new issue. During the 20th National Assembly, related bills such as 'Gradual Closure and Compensation for Dog Meat Farms' (proposed by lawmaker Lee Jeong-mi), 'Bills to End Dog Meat Consumption' (proposed by lawmaker Pyo Chang-won), and 'Bills to Ban Slaughter, Processing, and Sale of Dogs and Cats for Consumption' (proposed by lawmaker Han Jeong-ae) were steadily raised. However, most related bills failed to pass the so-called threshold. The main reason for the difficulty in passing was the lack of social consensus. While most people opposed the act of eating dogs itself, they showed negative attitudes toward whether it should be banned by law. According to a recent survey conducted by the People Power Party through the Yeouido Institute, opposition to dog meat consumption itself was higher (about 60%) than support (about 40%), but opposition to legislating a ban on dog meat consumption was even higher (about 60%) than support (about 40%). People hesitate about whether it should be legally prohibited.

However, similar legislative cases have already been confirmed overseas. According to the 'Key Contents and Implications of Taiwan's Amendment to the Animal Protection Act Regarding the Ban on Dog Meat Consumption (2020)' published by the National Assembly Legislative Research Office, Taiwan passed the 'Animal Protection Act' in 2017, banning the consumption of dogs and cats. Prior to this, Taiwan had taken gradual and continuous legislative measures since 2000. In 2001, Taiwan first implemented a ban on the slaughter of companion animals for economic purposes, followed by legislation in 2007 banning the slaughter of dogs and cats and the sale of animal carcasses. In 2015, penalties for slaughtering dogs and cats for consumption were gradually strengthened to include imprisonment of up to one year.

Democratic Party lawmakers Han Jeong-ae (from right), Nam In-soon, Ko Min-jung, Seo Young-seok, and People Power Party Seoul City Council member Kim Ji-hyang attended the "Photo Exhibition for the Passage of the End Dog Meat Consumption Act" held at the National Assembly Members' Office Building in Yeouido, Seoul, on the afternoon of July 10, 2023. Photo by Yonhap News.

Although the People Power Party pledged to ban dog meat consumption during the last presidential election, it showed a passive attitude toward legislative discussions, such as holding forums and seminars to raise public awareness. However, since First Lady Kim made related remarks, the party has been moving urgently. In fact, when it became known in April that Kim said she would end dog meat consumption during her term, lawmakers Jo Su-jin and Tae Young-ho proposed dog meat ban-related bills within two days. There was even a move to name the related law the 'Kim Keon-hee Act.' On the 24th of last month, Park Dae-chul, the People Power Party Policy Committee Chair, mentioned on his social media that 'a green light has been turned on for the Kim Keon-hee Act' following the launch of the 'Bipartisan Lawmakers' Group to End Dog Meat Consumption.'

This series of issues has added new controversy to the existing legislative difficulties. Naming the bill the 'Kim Keon-hee Act' could rather increase resistance. Cheon Ha-ram, the People Power Party's Suncheon Gap district committee chair, said in a CBS radio interview on the 15th, "From the opposition party's perspective, if the bill is named the Kim Keon-hee Act, how could they pass it even if they wanted to?" He added, "They are currently opposing First Lady Kim from various angles, so it would be difficult to easily support a bill named after her." Former lawmaker Yoo Seung-min criticized on his social media, "Those who once flattered the president as a godlike figure are now offering genius-level flattery to the president's wife," and said, "Seeing such pathetic behavior from people who are supposed to be constitutional institutions makes it feel like 'liberal democracy' is regressing to 'communist totalitarianism.'" On the other hand, Lee Heon-seung, a People Power Party lawmaker leading the bipartisan group to end dog meat consumption, argued on MBC radio on the 15th, "In the past, many bills were named after people. That makes it easier to promote to the public."

Amid this atmosphere, the People Power Party remains indecisive about whether to adopt the bill as the party's official stance. Kang Min-guk, the party's chief spokesperson, told reporters after the Supreme Council meeting on the 14th, "We will push for the dog meat ban law as the party's official stance." However, there is still ongoing debate within the party about whether to proceed as the party's official position.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.