South Korea to ban consumption of dog meat

In a landmark decision, South Korea is planning to ban the controversial consumption of dog meat.

The parliament in Seoul approved a special law on Tuesday aimed at prohibiting the breeding, slaughter and sale of dogs for human consumption, with violations subject to punishment.

There is a three-year transitional grace period until the new law came into effect.

The contents of the law that had become known so far, did not explicitly prohibit the consumption of dog meat.

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Eating dog meat had been a long tradition in the Asian country.

In recent years, a growing wave of protests, notably led by animal rights activists, had urged the government to address the issue.

Members of the Korean Dog Meat Association had staged protests against the impending legal ban. (dpa)