South Korea says 87% of dog-meat farms have closed ahead of February ban

South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said on October 11 that 1,339 of the country's 1,537 farms raising dogs for food had completed closure by September 21. The figure represents 87% of the total and is approximately 30% above the ministry's planned cumulative figure of 1,030 closures, according to reports by Newsis, Yonhap and Asia Economy. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]

The number of dogs remaining on the farms has fallen to around 7,600 from approximately 468,000 reported when farms submitted their closure implementation plans in August 2024. The ministry attributed the pace of closures to incentives for early exit and special inspections during the summer. It has divided closure support into six periods and offers different payment levels to encourage farms to close earlier. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]

The ministry plans to work with local governments to strengthen inspections before the prohibition takes effect on February 7, 2027. Special winter inspections in November and December will cover all dog farms, checking whether closed farms have resumed raising dogs and whether remaining farms are following their closure plans. Newsis and Asia Economy reported that farms will be notified that corrective or closure orders may be imposed under relevant laws if animal management is inadequate, including increases in dog numbers or failure to separate males and females. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]

Protection and management arrangements are also being prepared for dogs inevitably left behind, including when owners relinquish ownership. Plans will consider each dog's breed, size, age and sociability, with details developed through consultation with relevant organisations and other stakeholders, the ministry said. Under the law ending the dog-meat industry, raising, breeding, slaughtering, distributing and selling dogs for food will be fully prohibited from February 7, 2027. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]