Seoul develops dog meat testing tech ahead of country-wide ban

This photo provided by Seoul government demonstrates the real-time PCR testing of dog meat. (Seoul Metropolitan Government)

Seoul Metropolitan Government said Wednesday it has developed a diagnostic test to identify dog meat, with a recently passed ban on dog-sourced meat set to fully take effect in 2027.

The test kit uses polymerase chain reaction to identify dog DNA in meat, and has been developed by Seoul's Research Institute of Public Health and Environment in June. The city government plans to use the system to catch those who attempt to sell dog meat by falsely advertising it as other types of meat.

Seoul in February launched a task force for ending dog meat consumption, with 497 distributors and restaurant owners in the city submitting their plans to close down their related business in the near future.

South Korea's law to ban the breeding and slaughtering of dogs for meat, as well as distribution of dog meat, partially came into effect this year, with the government implementing an immediate ban on starting new businesses in such fields. Existing businesses are required to pull out of the dog meat trade by 2027, with violators being subject to criminal punishment.

The government is currently working on a plan to reimburse businesses for the losses caused by the law revision, an estimated 5,625 business spanning across the dog meat industry, which includes restaurant owners, meat distributors and dog farm owners.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)