South Korean President Moon Jae-in lifted the ban on eating dogs in the country after his office said the traditional practice had become an international embarrassment. A survey by the polling company Realmeter found that people were divided on whether government should ban the consumption of dog meat, 59% supporting a legal restriction on dog slaughter for human consumption. A survey by the animal welfare group Aware found that a ban on eating dog meat was more popular with one estimate showing that 78% of South Koreans support a ban on sale of dog and cat meat.

An estimated one million dogs are slaughtered each year at about 3,000 dog farms in the country to feed them, according to the country’s animal rights activists. The dogs are being eaten by animal rights activists in South Korea after years of outrage. The animals are slaughtered for meat by the South Korean government and their tradition of eating dog meat has declined as South Koreans have accepted dogs as pets, including their leader.

It is thought that about a million dogs are eaten every year, but more people have recently begun to appreciate the animals as companions. A Reuters report estimated that in South Korea approximately 1 million dogs are slaughtered annually, but demand for dog meat has declined over the years. Meat and dogs make up a large part of South Korean cuisine, and although around a million dogs are thought to be eaten, consumption has declined in recent years as more people accept dogs as companions rather than animals.

Moon, who is known as a dog lover, has several canines on the president’s property, including one he rescued before taking office. He has many animals among his residents, including Tori, a rescue dog. Accepting the Tories was one of the promises made during his Presidential Campaign by Moon and he became the first rescue dog to find his way into the Blue House.

Moon has ridden several dogs at the presidential compound, including two dogs that were given to him by North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un during an inter-Korean summit in 2018. Moon, who is known as a dog lover, has several canines in his presidential seat, including one he rescued called Tory. Moon has raised pets at his presidential residence, including a rescued dog and another dog that was a gift from North Korean President Kim Jong-un in 2018.

South Korea has animal welfare laws that prevent cruel killing of dogs and cats, but do not prohibit the actual consumption of meat itself. According to a Reuters report, there are laws prohibiting the cruel slaughter of dogs or cats, but the consumption of meat itself is not prohibited in the country. However, according to Korean tradition, dog meat is said to have mythical properties that increase restorative powers and enhance potency, as USA Today noted.

The process began in 1988 in South Korea when the country hosted the Olympics and was heavily criticized by foreigners for influencing the practice and consumption of dog meat by Western cultural traditions. Authorities invoked South Korean animal welfare laws and other hygiene rules and re-badged dog farms and restaurants during international events such as Pyeongchang Olympics in 2018. Criticism of eating dog meat increased after the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Some Koreans objected to the practice, saying that dog meat was part of traditional Korean food, but the issue had become nationalistic, he said.

According to his presidential spokesman, South Korean president Moon Jae-in proposed a ban on his country’s controversial tradition of eating dog meat. Animal rights activists gathered on Tuesday in central Seoul to call on the South Korea Parliament to take steps to ban the consumption of dog meat. In 2017 Taiwan banned the sale and consumption of dog and cat meat and raised penalties for animal cruelty.

This week, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said in his weekly meeting with South Korean Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum that it was time to consider a ban on dog meat. President Moon is known to be a dog lover but he has urged for the first time in his term of office the possibility of a total ban on this type of meat. President Moon asked President Moon on Monday in a meeting with Prime Minister Kim whether it is time to seriously consider a possible ban on dog meat consumption in South Korea.

Activists visited the presidential office and Parliament of South Korea’s President to express their call for swift action to ban the consumption of dog meat, said Lee Win-bok, head of the Korean Association for Animal Welfare. Activists visited the presidential office and parliament to convey their demands for “swift action” to ban the meat, Lees-win Bok said. The President of the Dog Friends spoke out after being informed of the fixed care system for stray pets.

Kim Na-ra, an activist for anti-dog meat with Humane Society International Korea said that he hoped they would signal the beginning of the end of the dog meat industry.

A meeting between South Korean president Moon Jae-in and Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum banned the consumption of dog meat on Monday. After briefing the Prime Minister on animal rights, Moon, the President of South Korea, agreed to introduce a mandatory registration system for abandoned dogs. Cheong Wa-dae spokeswoman Park Kyung-mee said at a briefing at the Chunchugwan Press Center that the president made the proposal after being briefed by Kim on the government’s efforts to improve the system for caring for stray animals through weekly policy consultations with the presidential office.