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South Korea finally announces when it will ban eating dog meat

There's been a big change in public opinion on the topic.

Dogs near the DMZ in South Korea.

After years of public opinion slowly changing on the topic, it appears South Korea is ready to end its ancient tradition of eating dog meat. The combination of outside pressure and its unpopularity among the nation's youth has pushed the government to take action.

"It is time to put an end to social conflicts and controversies around dog meat consumption through the enactment of a special act to end it," Yu Eui-dong, policy chief of the ruling People Power Party, said at a meeting with government officials and animal rights activists, according to Reuters.

"We live in an era where there are millions of pets," Yu continued. "In particular, dogs are not just possessions, but family members and friends that interact with people. The majority of the public is against eating dogs."

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It kind of goes without saying that we could all use a reunion right now. And this video is a testament to the profoundly beautiful experiences that can happen when people are reunited after long absences. It's also a testament to the idea of never giving up hope. After all, these Korean families were separated by 30 years after the horrific civil war that led to the creation of North and South Korea. An estimated 2-3 million Korean civilians died in the conflict, more than World War II and Vietnam. And with technology then not being what it is now, thousands of family members were separated during and after the conflict, often with no way of finding out if their loved ones had survived.

So, in June 1983, Korean broadcast station KBS News broadcast a special to help reunite displaced family members. It was reportedly the first time a television program had been used to reunite families separated by a war. The entire program was meant to go on for about 45 minutes. But after an incredible outpouring of Korean seeking help finding their relatives, it ended up lasting for 138 days and a total of 453 hours.. And as this short video shows, it might just be one of the most powerful moments in television history.


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Adam Rippon just made U.S. Olympics history.

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images.

When the 28-year-old heads to South Korea, he'll be the first openly gay U.S. male athlete to compete in the Winter Games.

Can he get a hell yeah?

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