By Jimin Jung and Dogyun Kim
SEOUL, November 30 (Reuters) – About 200 South Korean farmers who raise dogs for human consumption held a rally Thursday near the presidential office in the capital Seoul, demanding that the government abandon a plan to ban the controversial centuries-old practice.
Dozens of farmers, who had tried to drive through the street in front of the presidential office in trucks with dogs in cages that they intended to release on site, were turned back by the police who inspected the cargo covered with blankets.
President Yoon Suk Yeol’s ruling party introduced a bill to ban the breeding and sale of dogs intended for consumption and offer financial compensation to players in the sector forced to close their businesses within a three-year grace period.
Now is the time to end the controversy over eating dog meat, party members said, adding that they enjoy broad support from the opposition party, which currently controls Parliament , and the public.
More than 6 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 own six dogs, including a guide dog. retirement and a rescue dog.
A Gallup Korea poll last year showed that nearly two-thirds of respondents were opposed to eating dog meat, with only 8% saying they had eaten it in the past year, down from 27% in 2015. .
Ju Yeong-bong, who represents an industry group and led Thursday’s rally, said politicians have no right to shut down an industry or decide what people choose to eat.
“We cannot accept the idea that this is barbaric, because all countries that have a tradition of breeding have at some point eaten dogs and there are still countries where this is done,” he said. -he declares.
Farmers were completely excluded from discussions on the bill and the financial compensation offered was completely insufficient given that they would lose their livelihoods, Ju said.
The farmers fought with the police, who outnumbered them, and erected barricades to prevent them from crossing the street to get closer to the presidential office. Three protesters, including Ju, were arrested by police in a chaotic scene, organizers said.
As the practice of eating dog meat has declined in popularity, farmers and restaurateurs who serve this meat have been struggle to keep it legal.
Farmers have accused First Lady Kim, a vocal critic of dog meat consumption, of putting what they call inappropriate pressure on the government and ruling party to introduce the ban.
“The First Lady spoke on this issue with keen interest, and both at home and abroad there is support and consensus, as well as within the opposition party,” said the presidential office.
(Reporting by Jimin Jung, Dogyun Kim and Hongji Kim, writing by Jack Kim, editing by Ed Davies and Jamie Freed)
((jack.kim@thomsonreuters.com; +822 6936 1455 ;))
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