Dog meat dispute
resurfaces
A
government decision to impose strict regulations
on processing and selling dog meat has reignited
an old controversy over the traditional Koreans'
practice of eating dog meat.
The
Cabinet last Wednesday decided to draft measures
that prohibit any brutal slaughtering of dogs and
set hygiene guidelines on the processing and sale
of dog meat.
Seen
as a move to bring the sale of dog meat under
control and as a result officially recognize the
controversial practice as legal, the government
announcement drew immediate responses from animal
rights activists and some people who oppose the
time-old practice of eating dogs.
"Setting
a hygiene standard on dog meat means nothing but
legalizing dog meat industry. We cannot believe
the government is moving to legalize the
dog-eating practice of some Koreans which is not
only harmful for national interests, but also
disgraceful and reproachable," the Korea Animals
Protection Society said in an official statement.
"We'll
mobilize animal rights groups home and abroad to
campaign against it."
The
Web sites of Cheong Wa Dae and other related
government offices were hit with a flurry of
postings following the announcement, with some
supporting Koreans' dog-eating tradition and the
government decision and others strongly
criticizing the government for not outlawing such
a 'barbarian' conduct.
"Is
this government going to reduce all Koreans to dog
abusers? Listen to the majority of people who
don't eat dogs, and stop being swayed by the
industry lobbies," Kang Sin-ae wrote on the Web
site of the Office for Government Policy
Coordination which made the announcement of the
controversial measures.
"It
is obvious ethnocentrism for some narrow-minded
Westerners and some Koreans to denounce other
people for eating certain meat which they don't
consume. We don't criticize another country's
culture of eating horse, snail, or monkey brains,"
wrote another netizen with the signoff
'Brightest.'
The
government, however, appears reluctant to take a
clear stand on the matter, which can refocus the
attention of international animal rights groups.
"To
legalize the dog meat trade, the law on livestock
slaughtering should be revised to include dogs.
But last week's decision is only intended at
thoroughly controlling the hygiene standard of dog
meat which is considered as food in reality," a
government official explained, refraining from
linking the move to legalizing the dog meat trade.
The
Korean government has been under severe criticism
both at home and abroad for turning a blind eye to
the cruelty dogs are subjected to before they are
slaughtered and the meat sold in back alleys.
Since the current laws on animal protection and
slaughtering don't include dogs as animals fit for
human consumption, the processing and
merchandising of dog meat has gone underground
with no official guidelines to guarantee hygiene
and animal welfare.
The dog meat soup called
'Boshintang' or nutrition soup is commonly
consumed by Koreans as a special traditional
cuisine, and restaurants specializing in the dog
soup are easily identifiable.
(milaya@heraldm.com)
By Lee Sun-young
