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SEOUL — About 200 South Korean farmers who breed and raise dogs for human consumption held a rally on Thursday (Nov 30) near the presidential office in the capital Seoul, demanding the government scrap a plan to ban the controversial centuries-old practice.
Dozens of farmers, who had tried to drive into the street in front of the presidential office by truck with dogs in cages that they intended to release at the scene, were turned away by the police who inspected the cargo covered with blankets.
The ruling party of President Yoon Suk Yeol has introduced a bill to ban the breeding and sale of dogs for consumption and offer financial compensation for those in the industry forced to shutter their business within a three-year grace period.
The time is now to put an end to the controversy around eating dog meat, party members have said, adding there was broad support from the opposition party, which currently controls parliament, and from the public.
More than six million South Korean households now own dogs as pets in a country of about 51 million people, and Yoon and his wife Kim Keon Hee are owners of six dogs, including a retired guide dog and a rescue dog.
A Gallup Korea poll last year showed almost two-thirds of respondents opposed eating dog meat, with only eight per cent saying they had eaten dog within the past year, down from 27 per cent in 2015.
Ju Yeong-bong, who represents an industry group and led Thursday's rally, said politicians had no right to close down an industry or decide what people chose to eat.
"We can't agree with the idea that it is barbaric, because all countries that have the tradition of animal husbandry have at some point eaten dogs and there are still countries where it's done," he said.
The farmers had been completely excluded from discussion on the bill and proposed financial compensation was completely inadequate given they would lose their livelihoods, Ju said.
The farmers scuffled with police who outnumbered them and set up barricades to stop them from crossing the street to move closer to the presidential office. Three protesters including Ju were detained by police in a chaotic scene, the organisers said.
While the practice of eating dog meat has declined in popularity, the farmers and restaurant owners who serve the meat have been fighting to keep it legal.
The farmers have accused First Lady Kim, a vocal critic of dog meat consumption, of exercising what they call improper pressure on the government and the ruling party to bring in the ban.
"The First Lady has spoken out about this issue with keen interest, and both in the country and abroad there is support and consensus, as well as from the opposition party," the presidential office said.
Source: Reuters
韩国农民抗议狗肉禁令与警察发生冲突
首尔——周四（11 月 30 日），大约 200 名饲养供人类食用的狗的韩国农民在首都首尔总统府附近举行集会，要求政府废除一项禁止这种有数百年历史的有争议做法的计划。
数十名农民试图开着卡车驶入青瓦台前的街道，卡车上载着关在笼子里的狗，他们打算在现场放生，但被检查盖着毯子的货物的警察拦住了。
韩国总统尹锡烈领导的执政党提出了一项法案，禁止饲养和销售食用狗，并对被迫在三年宽限期内关闭业务的业内人士提供经济补偿。
党员表示，现在是结束有关吃狗肉的争议的时候了，并补充说，目前控制议会的反对党和公众都得到了广泛支持。
在这个拥有约 5100 万人口的韩国，现在有超过 600 万家庭养狗作为宠物，尹和他的妻子金建熙 (Kim Keon Hee) 养了六只狗，其中包括一只退休的导盲犬和一只搜救犬。
去年盖洛普韩国民意调查显示，近三分之二的受访者反对吃狗肉，只有 8% 的人表示他们在过去一年内吃过狗肉，低于 2015 年的 27%。
代表一个行业团体并领导周四集会的朱永峰表示，政客无权关闭一个行业或决定人们选择吃什么。
他说：“我们不能同意这种做法是野蛮的，因为所有有畜牧业传统的国家都曾在某个时候吃过狗肉，而且现在仍然有一些国家这样做。”
鞠说，农民被完全排除在该法案的讨论之外，而且考虑到他们将失去生计，拟议的经济补偿完全不够。
农民们与人数多于他们的警察发生扭打，并设置路障阻止他们过马路靠近青瓦台。 组织者称，包括鞠在内的三名抗议者在混乱的场面中被警方拘留。
虽然吃狗肉的习俗已经不再流行，但提供狗肉的农民和餐馆老板一直在努力保持其合法性。
农民们指责直言不讳地批评狗肉消费的第一夫人金正恩对政府和执政党施加不当压力，要求其实施禁令。
青瓦台表示：“第一夫人对此问题深感兴趣，得到了国内外以及在野党的支持和共识。”
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