In 2004, the Korean government proposed legislation for the “hygienic control of dog meat,” arguing that the government regulation of slaughter was the only way to insure that the process would be done humanely and under sanitary conditions. While the proponents of this proposal argue that they are acting in the interests of animal welfare and public health, it was clear that the true motive for the proposal was to provide a backdoor to the legalization of dog meat.
IAKA sprung to action, calling on supporters to send a clear message to the Korean government to stop their attempts to legalize dog meat.
After many years of campaigning and petitioning, IAKA is happy to report that Korea’s Animal Protection Law has recently been amended to include tougher penalties for animal cruelty as well as stronger legislation to address stray and abandoned animals.
Additional changes include provisions to allow for better law enforcement by giving power to local governments who can appoint “Animal Protection Officers” to investigate cruelty and seize animals which are being abused. The amended law was passed in January of 2007 and will allow a one-year grace period, going into effect at the beginning of 2008.
We are happy to announce that the newly revised animal protection law has been passed and that we have succeeded in defeating the proposal for hygienic control.
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