South Korea Says 87% of Dog Meat Farms Have Closed Ahead of Ban
Only 198 of South Korea’s 1,537 registered dog meat farms remained in operation as of Sept. 21, according to the Agriculture Ministry, as the country prepares to enforce a nationwide ban in February 2027.
South Korea has closed 87 percent of its registered dog meat farms as the country approaches the full implementation of a nationwide ban on the trade, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Sunday.
Of the 1,537 farms registered when the government began the phaseout process in 2024, 198 remained in operation as of Sept. 21. The ministry said closures were proceeding faster than expected, with the number of farms that had shut down running 30 percent above the government’s projection for that point in the transition.
The remaining population of dogs on active farms has also fallen sharply. An estimated 7,600 dogs were still being kept at operating facilities last month, compared with 468,000 recorded in August 2024, the final month of a six-month period during which operators were encouraged to register closure plans.
The ban is scheduled to take full effect on Feb. 7, 2027. Legislation passed in January 2024 prohibits breeding, slaughtering, distributing and selling dogs for human consumption after a three-year phaseout. The transition program includes financial assistance for eligible operators, with incentives designed to encourage earlier exits from the industry.
Authorities are now focusing on preventing farms from expanding dog populations during the remaining transition period and on arranging care for animals left behind. Under the special act governing the phaseout, the government can close facilities that increase their dog populations or fail to separate male and female animals.
The Agriculture Ministry plans to conduct special inspections with local governments from November through December. Officials will check whether farms that reported closures have resumed operations and review the plans of those still open. Local authorities are also being asked to prepare care and management programs tailored to the breed, size, age and social behavior of the surviving dogs.
The latest figures mark further progress from May, when the government reported that about 82 percent of registered farms had closed and 272 remained. They also underscore the practical challenge in the final stage of the ban: ensuring that the remaining animals are safely relocated while verifying that shuttered businesses do not return to the trade.
The phaseout follows a long decline in dog meat consumption and a broad shift in public attitudes toward dogs as companion animals. The government’s immediate task is to complete the closure process before enforcement begins while coordinating animal welfare, local oversight and livelihood support for former operators.