Dog Meat Still Hot Potato in Korea

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Dog Meat Still Hot Potato in Korea

Korea Times

Bae Ji-sook

Staff Reporter

08-10-2006

 

Thursday was 'malbok,' the last day of heat based on the lunar calendar, and

it is also the day when many Koreans eat what they consider invigorating to

recharge their batteries from the steamy weather. 'Poshintang (dog meat

soup)' is one of the most popular foods for the day along with 'samgyetang

(chicken broth).'

 

Also malbok is the day when people for and against consuming dog meat bark

at each other.

 

" Eating dog is one thing that was never accepted in many parts of the

world, " said a member of Korea Association for Animal Protection (KAAP). In

fact, a renowned French actress and pet lover, Bridgit Bardot strongly

criticized Koreans for eating dog meat, naming it a 'barbarous demeanor.'

 

It is true that many parts of the world do not feel good about Koreans' dog

eating culture and during the 2002 World Cup, FIFA unofficially asked the

Korean government to restrain from selling dog meat, only to be turned down.

 

The notoriety of being labled 'dog eating country' is one big burden for

Koreans in many ways. Recently Ida Daussy, a French living in Korea,

admitted in an interview that she had to explain to people living in France

that dog meat is not sold in the butchers like beef or pork like they

imagined.

 

Also a growing number of pet lovers protest against the idea of eating dogs

that are so close to humans. Dogs are often considered man's best friend,

and their DNA structures are quite similar to humans.

 

Lim Sun-rye, a movie director, has appealed to people to stop eating dog

meat. " Eating dog meat is such an extravaganza. We are over-nourished and

yet are trying to supply unnecessary things into our bodies by taking other

lives, " she said. She said breeding pets helped her understand about life

and taught her that eating dogs is a selfish thing to do.

 

However, the majority of people are still for eating dogs. They are talking

about how, not why. " I eat poshintang when I feel burnt-out, " said Yang, who

refused to give further personal information. " I believe there are other

kinds of dogs bred for eating. I am not proud of it, but I am not ashamed

either, " she said.

 

According to a recent KBS Radio research, pet dog owners ate dog as often as

non-pet owners. One out of every three pet dog owners ate dog meat soup and

were keen to eat it as often as others do.

 

In an online poll by empas (www.empas.com), 86 percent of the 622

respondents answered that dog eating culture is a matter of difference, not

of good or bad. " Just like the French have foie gras and Mongolians eat

horse meat, eating dog is our culture, " said a netizen with ID nmdvvbmn. He

also said eating dog is done in many other countries including China.

 

" It's a matter of how to eat dogs rather than not to eat them, " said a

netizen with ID Xenny on his blog. He stressed that debating whether to eat

dog meat or not is an obsolete way of thinking.

 

In fact, clearing the procedure of dog meat distribution is the key issue to

proponents. Dogs butchered in unsanitary conditions or dogs with skin

problems and diseases are not managed by the government well enough.

 

" Dog meat does not fall in the category of livestock goods according to the

law, " said Kim Mun-gap, an agriculture and forestry ministry official. " We

audit beef, pork and poultry distribution, but we do not have a special

regulation for dog meat. " He admitted that there could be loopholes for

unsanitary and bad quality dog meat to slip in, and a strict regulation for

dog meat product is needed.

 

Three ministries, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of

Environment and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, are in charge of the

process, from breeding to meat distribution. However, no one is willing to

take the big step to legalize the problem clearly. " I mean, who would want

to? It is a very delicate problem and non-governmental activists who are

against the issue are tough to deal with, " Kim added.

 

Dog meat is believed to be an invigorating food by many Koreans. About 25

tons of dog meat is consumed a day and that comes to 8,428 tons a year.

Tonguibogam, a Korean traditional medical book, said that dog meat comforts

human bodies and strengthens stomachs and intestines while boosting bodies

and women's beauty.

 

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