Repugnance watch: Dog (as) food in Korea--opposition from the President, amidst growing pet ownership

 Here's the story from the Guardian:

South Korean president suggests ban on eating dog meat. Moon Jae-in, a dog-lover, says ‘time has come’ for traditional practice to end. 

"The South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, has raised banning the eating of dogs in the country, his office said, a traditional practice that is becoming an international embarrassment.

"The meat has long been a part of South Korean cuisine with about 1 million dogs believed to be eaten annually, but consumption has declined as more people embrace the animals as companions rather than livestock.

"The practice is something of a taboo among younger generations and pressure from animal rights activists has been mounting.

“Hasn’t the time come to prudently consider prohibiting dog meat consumption?” Moon asked the prime minister, Kim Boo-kyum, during a weekly meeting on Monday, according to the presidential spokesperson."

**************

And from the Washington Post:

South Korea considers ban on eating dog meat as pet ownership grows in the country  By Grace Moon  and Andrew Jeong

 "South Korea is considering a ban on dog meat consumption, officials said Tuesday, a day after President Moon Jae-in ordered the government to explore such a move.

"The news comes after years of public outcries against the roughly 3,000 dog farms still operating in South Korea. Animal rights activists have accused the farmers of holding dogs in horrid conditions.

"Criticism surrounding the consumption of dog meat has grown as more South Koreans adopt canine pets: About 27 percent of South Korean homes have pets, with the majority of them being dogs — up from 17 percent in 2010 — according to the agriculture ministry. (About half of American households reported having pets in 2018, according to the Census Bureau and Simmons National Consumer Study.)"