One of the most remarkable aspects of the 2018 story was that the farm closure did not rely on confrontation alone.
The owner agreed to leave the dog-meat industry.
According to Humane Society International, the farmer was a 71-year-old man identified as Farmer Lee.
He had raised dogs for human consumption for approximately 14 years.
When he originally entered the business, he believed it offered a financially reliable future.
He expected demand for dog meat to remain strong enough to provide income during retirement.
But over time, the market changed.
Dog-meat consumption had been declining in South Korea, especially among younger generations.
An increasing number of households were welcoming dogs as companions, and public concerns about animal welfare were becoming more visible.
For Lee, those social changes also had practical consequences.
His business was losing money.
He reportedly wanted to leave dog farming but did not know how to make the transition.
That uncertainty is important because changing an established industry requires more than persuading people that an alternative might be desirable.
Farmers may have invested years of labor and substantial resources into their businesses.
They may depend on those operations to support themselves and their families.
Even when they want to stop, the financial risks of starting over can discourage them.
Humane Society International had developed a program specifically designed to address this problem.
Rather than focusing exclusively on rescuing animals, the organization worked with willing farmers to permanently shut down their dog-meat operations and transition into different livelihoods.
In Lee's case, the alternative was already familiar to him.
He planned to expand his medicinal herb business.
Instead of continuing to breed dogs for consumption, he could concentrate on growing plants.
The arrangement offered a more sustainable path forward for the farmer while removing the animals from the meat trade.
Lee explained to the charity that he had become increasingly concerned about the declining demand for dog meat.
He also said another former dog farmer had told him about Humane Society International's transition program.
That conversation helped him see a possibility he had previously struggled to imagine.
A different future was available.
And it did not require continuing the business he no longer wanted to operate.
Why Helping Farmers Matters
The decision to assist farmers may seem unusual to people who believe animal protection should focus only on rescuing animals.
However, advocates of this approach argue that supporting a permanent change in livelihood can help prevent future suffering.
Consider the difference between removing animals from a facility and ensuring that the facility never returns to its previous purpose.
A rescue may save the animals currently present.
But if the business continues operating, more animals could eventually be brought in to replace them.
A negotiated permanent closure addresses that larger problem.
The organization's approach was based on the belief that cooperation could sometimes achieve lasting results more effectively than confrontation.
Each participating farmer agreed to end dog-meat production.
The organization then assisted with the transition to a different livelihood.
Over the years, alternatives have included growing mushrooms, peppers, parsley, and other agricultural products, along with operating different businesses.
These changes were intended to create a practical route out of an industry facing declining social acceptance and uncertain financial prospects.
This model also recognized that social reform often involves people with different interests and experiences.
Animal welfare advocates wanted the suffering to stop.
Farmers needed realistic economic alternatives.
Local communities had their own cultural and economic considerations.
A successful transition had to acknowledge those realities.
When Lee decided to expand his medicinal herb business, the agreement offered a tangible demonstration of that strategy.
The closure was not merely a symbolic victory.
It meant that this particular facility would no longer continue raising dogs for the meat trade.
And it gave the dogs already inside a chance to begin again.
October 2018: The Rescue Operation Begins
On October 9, 2018, Humane Society International announced that it had reached an agreement to permanently close Lee's farm and rescue the animals.
It was the thirteenth dog-meat farm closure achieved through the organization's program in South Korea.
At that stage, the charity had already gained experience with similar operations.
Rescuing a large number of animals from an industrial farming environment requires extensive preparation.
Dogs may need individual examinations to identify injuries, infections, nutritional problems, and other medical concerns.
Veterinarians and animal care workers must assess which animals require immediate attention.
Transportation arrangements need to account for the dogs' sizes, ages, health conditions, and welfare.
Shelters receiving the animals must prepare suitable accommodations and staff.
For animals with little experience outside cages, even ordinary aspects of transportation can be unfamiliar.
A carrier, vehicle, human touch, or new sound may be frightening.
Rescue teams therefore need to balance urgency with careful handling.
A rushed approach can increase stress or create avoidable welfare risks.
The goal is not simply to move animals from one location to another.
It is to move them safely, with appropriate veterinary oversight, toward an environment where recovery is possible.
The 2018 mission involved cooperation across several countries.
The dogs were destined for rescue and shelter partners in Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Netherlands.
Nine dogs were expected to travel to the United Kingdom.
Others would be cared for by organizations capable of supporting their rehabilitation and eventual placement into adoptive homes.
For the dogs, the journey represented an extraordinary change in circumstances.
They were leaving a place where their futures had been determined by a commercial industry and entering a system intended to protect their lives and welfare.
The difference could hardly have been greater.
From Confinement to the Possibility of Home
A successful animal rescue is rarely complete the moment an animal reaches safety.
In many ways, that is when a new phase of work begins.
Dogs rescued from long-term confinement may face challenges that family pets have never encountered.
Some may be nervous around unfamiliar people.
Others may appear unusually quiet or reluctant to move.
Certain dogs may become overwhelmed by everyday experiences such as walking on grass, hearing traffic, or entering a house.
Not every rescued dog reacts in the same way.
Some adjust rapidly and show curiosity almost immediately.
Others need weeks or months of structured support.
Individual temperament, early experiences, health, genetics, and the conditions in which an animal was raised can all influence recovery.
Veterinarians and qualified animal behavior professionals often recommend patient, gradual introductions to unfamiliar experiences.
For a frightened dog, trust is not something that can be demanded.
It develops through repeated experiences of safety.
A calm voice, predictable routine, comfortable resting place, appropriate exercise, and gentle handling can gradually help an animal feel more secure.
Adoption organizations also need to evaluate each dog's individual needs before matching it with a family.
A dog that has spent much of its life in a cage may require more support than an animal raised in a typical home.
Some may benefit from experienced adopters who understand fear-related behavior.
Others may thrive in quieter environments with fewer unfamiliar visitors or less activity.
The important principle is that recovery should happen at the animal's own pace.
For the rescued South Korean dogs, reaching international partner shelters offered access to that kind of individualized care.
Although the original announcement described plans to find the animals loving homes, it did not provide a verified adoption outcome for every individual dog.