By Ju-min Park
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea will help rehome almost half a million dogs bred for food and give dog farmers subsidies and incentives to help them prepare for a ban on the practice set to take effect in early 2027, the agriculture ministry said on Thursday.
In January, parliament passed a bill to ban the eating and selling of dog meat, ending the controversial centuries-old tradition in a country that has seen growing support for animal welfare and a waning appetite for the food.
Park Beom-su, vice agriculture minister, said the government would spend about 100 billion won ($75 million) on incentives for dog breeders, farmers and restaurants to encourage them to shut their businesses.
Farmers can also get up to 600,000 won ($452) for each dog they surrender, and the authorities will try and get as many of these animals adopted, or rehomed in shelters, he added.
"Although many are concerned the remaining dogs might be euthanized or a lot of them could be processed for consumption over the next three years, I can certainly say, that is not our plan," Park said.
Eating dog meat was once seen as a way to improve stamina in the humid Korean summer, but the practice has become rare as more Koreans consider dogs as pets and as criticism of how the dogs are slaughtered has grown.
South Korea has more than 1,500 dog breeding farms and more than 200 dog slaughter houses. Some 2,300 restaurants still serve dog meat.
Support for the ban, which takes effect in February 2027, has grown under President Yoon Suk Yeol, an animal lover who owns six dogs and eight cats with First Lady Kim Keon Hee, who is also a vocal critic of eating dog meat.
The government's plan, however, drew criticism from some animal activists and members of the dog meat industry.
Sangkyung Lee, a campaign manager at animal rights group Humane Society International, said that while the plan marked an important milestone, the authorities need to better manage the welfare of the animals no longer being bred for food.
"There is no way animal shelters can take in that huge number of dogs," he told Reuters, noting that fewer than 10% of pets in South Korea were rescued animals.
Ju Yeongbong, who represents a dog meat industry group, said the government subsidies were insufficient, and vowed to fight for better support."This is our livelihood and if the government wants us to abandon it, more reasonable support plans should follow," Ju said.
($1 = 1,328.4900 won)
(This story has been refiled to add the dropped word 'on' in paragraph 1)