Dog Fighting Association Opposes Kim Geon-hee's 'End Dog Meat Consumption' Political Campaign

First Lady Kim Geon-hee, wife of President Yoon Suk-yeol, expressed her opinion on ending dog meat consumption, prompting the Korea Dog Meat Association (hereafter Dog Meat Association) to issue a statement in opposition.

On the 20th, the Dog Meat Association released a press statement saying, "Mrs. Kim is neither the president nor a member of the National Assembly, but someone who supports the president, so she should remain neutral," and added, "Using her superior position to side with interest groups like animal protection organizations to ban dog meat is political activity, overstepping authority, and unconstitutional."

First Lady Kim Geon-hee [Photo by Presidential Office]

원본보기 아이콘

They continued, "President Park Geun-hye was impeached because of Choi Soon-sil, and similarly, if Mrs. Kim engages in politics instead of President Yoon, then President Yoon should be impeached," raising their voices. They also stated, "As Mrs. Kim vowed to eradicate dog meat consumption, lawmakers Tae Young-ho and Kim Min-seok have taken the lead in proposing a special law to ban dog meat consumption, thus spearheading the destruction of dog meat farmers."

The association claimed that as more people raise companion dogs and animal protection groups grow stronger, politicians are advocating for the end of dog meat consumption to gain votes. They argued that banning dog meat simply because many people dislike it is contradictory.

The association said, "If this logic is followed, if many people dislike Buddhism, Buddhism could be abolished, and if many dislike Christianity, Christianity could be abolished," adding, "Different religions coexist, and the constitution prevents one side from oppressing or eliminating the other just because one side is larger. Trying to ban dog meat alone by using 'social consensus' or 'special laws' in a petty and disgraceful way is unconstitutional."

The association emphasized that banning dog meat consumption would harm stakeholders such as farmers who raise dogs for consumption and that compensation would be necessary.

They further stated, "Animal protection organizations collect nearly 20 billion won annually in donations under the pretext of protecting dogs. If their purpose is truly to protect dogs, they should not use that money for themselves but support farmers, merchants, and restaurants who lose their livelihoods due to closures."

First Lady Kim Keon-hee is greeting a stray dog.
[Photo by the Office of the President]

원본보기 아이콘

According to the Presidential Office on the 12th, Mrs. Kim recently held a private luncheon at the Blue House with representatives from animal protection organizations such as Animal Freedom Union and KARA, stating, "I will strive to end dog meat consumption within the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's term."

On the 14th, Tae Young-ho, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, introduced a bill to amend the Animal Protection Act (known as the Dog Meat Ban Act) to prohibit the slaughter, use, and sale of dogs and cats for food. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party announced plans to pass a special law (known as the Son Heung-min Discrimination Prevention Act) to ban illegal breeding, slaughter, and consumption of dogs and to support the reemployment of related merchants.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.