South Korean Legislators Honoured by World Dog Alliance While Its Founder Met Former President Moon Jae-in as Country Celebrates Dog Meat Ban

SEOUL, South Korea, November 13, 2024 (Newswire.com) - The World Dog Alliance (WDA) has honoured South Korean legislators who supported the passage of the Special Act on the Prohibition of Raising, Slaughtering, and Trading of Dogs for the Purpose of Food (the Special Act hereinafter). The Special Act has effectively ended dog meat trading in South Korea by prohibiting the raising, breeding, and slaughtering of dogs for food and the sale of processed food products containing dog meat. 

The Special Act, passed on Jan. 9, 2024, by the South Korean National Assembly, has been widely supported by the South Korean society. In honour of the individuals who have made contributions to the legislative process, the World Dog Alliance on Sept. 26, 2024, presented the Golden Dog Award to three members of the National Assembly of South Korea in Seoul: Ms Han Jeoung-ae of the Democratic Party, Mr Li Hun-seung of the People Power Party, and Mr Park Hong-keun of the Democratic Party. 

To mark the occasion, the National Assembly of South Korea presented an appreciation plaque to the founder of WDA, Genlin (also known as Horiike Hiroshi), to recognize the support offered by WDA on South Korea’s legislation to ban dog meat. 

Since 2014, WDA has campaigned for the banning of dog and cat meat in South Korea. In 2014, Genlin, founder of WDA, produced the documentary film “Eating Happiness” to expose the brutal practices behind dog meat consumption in Asia. In 2016, the WDA launched a petition in the United Kingdom to urge the South Korean government to ban the eating of dog meat. The petition received over 100,000 signatures from British citizens. In 2018, the WDA held an event in Seoul in honour of then-President Moon Jae-in’s adopted dog Tori. The WDA further presented a letter to President Moon, calling on South Korea to ban dog meat. In August 2023, WDA arranged 10 U.S. congressmen to write a letter to the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol, directly leading to the country’s legislation five months later.

In celebration of the passing of the Special Act, former President Moon Jae-in met Genlin in Busan on Aug. 6, 2024, where WDA presented him with a giant painting depicting Moon together with his dog Tori. During the meeting, Moon and Genlin discussed the prospects of South Korea supporting the International Agreement to Prohibit the Eating of Dogs and Cats proposed by the WDA in 2019. Back in 2021, President Moon was the first president to announce the South Korean government’s intention to enact a national ban on dog meat.

Source: World Dog Alliance