South Korea rescues dozens of dogs as dog-meat industry winds down

Early Tuesday, animal-rights volunteers entered a dog-meat farm in Gangjin County, extracting 46 dogs from cramped wire cages and preparing them for adoption overseas in the United States and Canada. The rescued dogs, such as a three-year-old Corgi mix called Ranger, were the last batch taken from a large-scale facility before the industry’s scheduled shutdown. South Korea’s National Assembly passed a law in January 2024 that requires all dog-meat farms, slaughterhouses and restaurants to cease operations by February 2027, with owners receiving compensation of 225,000 to 600,000 won per dog.

Since the law’s adoption, 82 % of registered farms have closed, leaving 272 still operating. Advocacy groups like KARA and WEACT have documented hidden dogs in illegal slaughterhouses, and the farm owner initially under-reported the animal count. Experts note that legal hurdles, such as the classification of animals as property, could still expose dogs to neglect if owners delay closure.