The Taepyeong-dong complex in the city of Seongnam housed at least six slaughterhouses. The structures will be dismantled in two days and transformed into a public park. 70% of South Koreans do not eat dogs and about 40% believe that the practice should be prohibited.
Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - This morning South Korean authorities began to dismantle the country's largest slaughterhouse for dogmeat, where about a million specimens are consumed each year. The culinary tradition, which attracts fierce criticism abroad, is now in decline: the nation increasingly embraces the idea of dogs as pets and, among young people, their use in the kitchen has now become a taboo.
The Taepyeong-dong complex in the city of Seongnam, south of Seoul, housed at least six dog slaughterhouses. They could hold several hundred animals at a time, and were among the main suppliers for dog meat restaurants across the country. Local government officials declare that the structures will be dismantled in two days and transformed into a public park.
According to a survey last year, 70% of South Koreans do not eat dogs and about 40% believe that the practice should be prohibited. 65% believe it necessary to breed and slaughter animals in "more humane" conditions. At present, there are no laws on the treatment or slaughter of dogs in South Korea. While breeders urge the government to include dogs in the rules on the welfare of livestock, animal rights are opposed and seek to obtain complete abolition.