Korean War veterans, Hollywood celebrities, politicians, and others are calling on the South Korean government to pass legislation banning dog meat.
The South Korean National Assembly announced on November 17 (KST) that it aims to enact a dog meat ban starting July 1, 2024, with a three-year grace period until 2027.
The Global Anti-Dog Meat Coalition (GADMC) released a video on November 20, calling on South Korean politicians to “make the right decision by briefly editing some of the statements made by supporters demanding the banning of dog meat,” the organization said.
The video features actress Priscilla Presley, former wife of singer Elvis Presley, as well as Emmy Award winner Katherine Heigl, U.S. Congressman Brad Sherman, and Korean War veterans Anthony Melecca and Orville McKinney calling for a ban on dog meat.
“South Korea is a nation of progress and innovation, but there, it still wrestles with the pervasive dog meat trade,” said actress Katherine Heigl. “I ask South Korea to see this opportunity to put an end to the horrific daily slaughter of 3,000 dogs.”
“I strongly commend the introduction of a bill in the South Korean National Assembly to ban dog meat,” said Priscilla Presley. “And I thank South Korea’s First Lady, Kim Keon-hee, and Representative Han Jeoung-ae for their efforts to ban dog food.”
If enacted, the new law would ban the breeding, slaughter, distribution, and sale of dogs for human consumption. Last year, the Korea Daily ran a 10-part series with animal protection organization Humane Society International (HSI).
BY YEOL JANG, JUNHAN PARK [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
