South Korea Parliament Passes Landmark Bill To Ban Dog Meat

South Korea's parliament passed a bill to do away with the consumption of dog meat through a rare unanimous vote on the legislation that President Yoon Suk Yeol has pledged to enact as law.

Lawmakers in the bitterly divided National Assembly voted 208-0, with two abstentions, on Tuesday to end the breeding, butchering and sale of dog meat for consumption. Animal rights groups and backers of the legislation have seen the measure as reflecting the changing values in the country.

Slaughtering a dog for food purposes is punishable by imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won ($23,000). Breeding, or distributing a dog for consumption is punishable by imprisonment of up to two years, or a fine of up to 20 million won.