The killing and eating of dogs is to be illegal in Seoul, after three dog meat shops in South Korea's capital have ended their canine meat trades.

The nonprofit organization, The Humane Society International, has been working to end the dog meat trade in South Korea since 2015 and has been lobbying the Seoul Metropolitan Government hard to make the capital slaughter-free.

Fewer and fewer contemporary South Koreans still eat dog meat, with a recent Gallup poll showing that 70 per cent of South Koreans surveyed claimed that they would not eat dog meat in the future.

Commenting on the new legislation, dog meat campaign manager for Humane Society International Nara Kim stated: "I am so happy to see Seoul’s last remaining dog meat shops end dog slaughter. Although these shops can still sell dog meat, it is nonetheless wonderful to see South Korea take one step further away from this dying industry that most Koreans want nothing to do with."

She added: "It gives me hope that South Korea’s future is dog meat-free. HSI/Korea will continue working with the government, and supporting farmers who no longer want to work in the dog meat trade so that one day we will be able to celebrate the closure of South Korea’s final dog slaughterhouse."

Sadly, many dogs are still at risk. HSI reports that an estimated 30 million dogs are killed for human consumption each year across Asia, with 10-20 million dogs being killed in China, 2 million in South Korea, 1 million in Indonesia, and around 5 million in Vietnam.

Not only is the trade inhumane, but it has also been linked to the spread of disease, with outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera, and rabies thought to be caused by consuming dog meat in many parts of the world.

The killing and eating of dogs is to be illegal in Seoul, after three dog meat shops in South Korea's capital have ended their canine meat trades.

The nonprofit organization, The Humane Society International, has been working to end the dog meat trade in South Korea since 2015 and has been lobbying the Seoul Metropolitan Government hard to make the capital slaughter-free.

Fewer and fewer contemporary South Koreans still eat dog meat, with a recent Gallup poll showing that 70 per cent of South Koreans surveyed claimed that they would not eat dog meat in the future.

Commenting on the new legislation, dog meat campaign manager for Humane Society International Nara Kim stated: "I am so happy to see Seoul’s last remaining dog meat shops end dog slaughter. Although these shops can still sell dog meat, it is nonetheless wonderful to see South Korea take one step further away from this dying industry that most Koreans want nothing to do with."

She added: "It gives me hope that South Korea’s future is dog meat-free. HSI/Korea will continue working with the government, and supporting farmers who no longer want to work in the dog meat trade so that one day we will be able to celebrate the closure of South Korea’s final dog slaughterhouse."

Sadly, many dogs are still at risk. HSI reports that an estimated 30 million dogs are killed for human consumption each year across Asia, with 10-20 million dogs being killed in China, 2 million in South Korea, 1 million in Indonesia, and around 5 million in Vietnam.

Not only is the trade inhumane, but it has also been linked to the spread of disease, with outbreaks of trichinellosis, cholera, and rabies thought to be caused by consuming dog meat in many parts of the world.