Transcript

EP 45 - The Dog Meat Ban: South Korea’s Historic Menu Change · Eccentric Laws & Social Oddities

HOST: Imagine passing a restaurant sign, then realizing Parliament just gave that menu three years to disappear. [SFX: surprise bark] HOST: In January 2024, South Korea passed a law banning the breeding, slaughter, distribution, and sale of dogs for meat. The clock runs until 2027. HOST: After that, selling dog meat can mean up to three years in prison, or fines around 30 million won, roughly 22,000 U.S. dollars. [AD_BREAK:1] HOST: Here’s the odd legal wrinkle: eating dog meat itself is not criminalized. The law targets the industry, not the diner. [SFX: confused squeak] HOST: Dog meat, called bosintang in one famous soup, was once linked to stamina in hot weather. But pet ownership surged, younger Koreans rejected the practice, and animal welfare groups pushed hard. [AD_BREAK:2] HOST: Farmers and restaurant owners protested, arguing the state was outlawing their livelihood. So the law includes transition support, though details caused plenty of barking in committee. [SFX: loud gavel] HOST: The result is a rare legal moment: not just regulating dinner, but retiring a cultural custom. [AD_BREAK:3] HOST: Sometimes the strangest laws don’t preserve the past. They announce that society has changed its appetite.