The dog and cat meat trade in SOUTH KOREA (Asia):

BREAKING NEWS:  In early January 2024, South Korea's parliament passed a bill to ban the breeding and slaughtering of dogs for consumption, with a penalty of 3 years in prison or a fine of 30 million Korean won (equivalent to around $23,000 U.S. dollars).  The bill will go to the President of South Korea and it is expected to be approved.  Dog farmers and businesses associated with the dog meat industry in South Korea will have until 2027 to end their operations.  They will be provided with resources to go into another industry to earn a living.

Approximately 2 to 2.5 million dogs are slaughtered for human consumption each year in South Korea.  South Koreans who eat dog meat have the highest rate of consumption per person as compared to Chinese and Vietnamese people who eat dog meat.  The South Korean government recognizes dog meat farming as a profession and an industry, and is the only government in the world to do so.  (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade)

The dog meat industry is neither legal nor illegal in South Korea.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Humane Society International saves 90 dogs from slaughter in South Korea)  Dogs and cats are companion animals under the Animal Protection Act in South Korea, but dogs (and cats) are also listed as livestock in the Livestock Industry Act.  (Last Chance for Animals, 2019, Every year, a million dogs are brutally slaughtered in S. Korea for meat while the government turns a blind eye)  In August 2018, the office of the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-In, said it would consider removing dogs and cats from the livestock list. According to the South Korean Presidential Secretary for Agriculture and Fisheries, the government needed to “consult” before making a decision about removing dogs and cats from the livestock list, citing a 2018 survey showing about 51.5% of South Koreans do not want to ban dog meat, as opposed to about 39.7% of South Koreans who do want to ban dog meat.  At the same time, pet ownership in South Korea is increasing, along with a rapidly-developing pet industry.  (Wilkinson, Bard & Seo, Yoonjung, CNN, 2018, South Korea closes largest dog meat slaughterhouse)

The South Korean government hasn’t banned dog meat consumption because it fears a backlash from traditionalists.  (Rogers, 2018, Inside the grim scene of a Korean dog meat farm, just miles from the Winter Olympics)  The South Korean government has not stepped in to stop cruelty to dogs or abolish the dog meat trade because millions of South Koreans make money from the dog meat trade, with an overall estimated profit of over a billion dollars each year.  (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade)

In 1991, South Korea enacted the Animal Protection Act which bans animal abuse and inhumane slaughter, and defines the proper care, feeding, and housing of pets.  The Animal Protection Act was revised in 2011 to increase punishment for violating this law.  (Hyun-ju, 2016, Awareness of Animal Rights Grows in Korea)

In June 2018, South Korean Congressman Chang Won Pyo proposed an amendment to the Animal Protection Act to more effectively ban the illegal slaughter of dogs and cats in South Korea.  It is hoped this amendment will eventually lead to a total ban on the consumption of dog and cat meat in South Korea.  (International Aid for Korean Animals, 2018, Winter 2018 IAKA Newsletter)

In April 2018, a court in Bucheon, South Korea, ruled that killing dogs to sell and eat is illegal, although the court ruling does not outlaw the actual consumption of dog meat.  The court ruling is being protested by dog farmers and slaughterhouse owners, who want dog meat consumption legalized while providing licenses for slaughterhouses.  A representative from an association of dog farmers expressed the opinion that cows, pigs, chickens, and ducks are farmed for meat, so dogs should also be farmed for meat.  (Brady, Heather, National Geographic, 2018, South Korea Rules Killing Dogs for Meat Illegal, but Fight Continues)

Some South Koreans believe it is their right to eat dog meat, but South Korean animal right activists are working tirelessly to end the dog meat trade.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Closing South Korea’s Dog Meat Farms)  The criticism from the West against the consumption of dog and cat meat in South Korea is considered an attack on South Korean culture.  Dogs have been consumed for a long time in South Korea, but the consumption of cats in South Korea is a more recent practice.  The consumption of dogs is linked to South Korea’s national identity.  (Podberscek, 2009, Good to Pet and Eat: The Keeping and Consuming of Dogs and Cats in South Korea)  Most young South Koreans do not eat dog meat and are ashamed of the industry.  (International Aid for Korean Animals, 2018, Asia Insight)  Soi Dog Foundation reports that the dog meat industry and people who consume dog meat say that “meat dogs” are different from pet dogs, and that “meat dogs don’t have a soul or the same feelings as pet dogs.”  Soi Dog Foundation is spreading the message in South Korea that “a dog is a dog.”  (Soi Dog Foundation, 2020, Ending the Dog Meat Trade)

Dog meat is eaten throughout the entire year in South Korea, but becomes especially prevalent during the hottest days of the year.  (Dorman, Robin, In Defense of Animals, 2014, South Korea’s Dog Meat Question)  Seventy (70) to eighty (80) percent of the dog meat consumed in South Korea occurs during the three hottest days between July and August of each year during “boknal.”  The dog meat is mostly consumed as a soup called “boshintang” (dog meat stew) or as a tonic called “gaesoju” sold in traditional medicine shops.  “Boshintang” is believed by some South Koreans to invigorate their blood and reduce lethargy.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Closing South Korea’s Dog Meat Farms)  Some South Koreans believe boshintang strengthens and cools their bodies.  (Dorman, Robin, In Defense of Animals, 2014, South Korea’s Dog Meat Question)  A dog meat farmer in South Korea can make around $95,000 during one summer by selling dogs to meat traders during the yearly Boknal Meat Festival.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)  Veterinarians in South Korea say that eating dog meat is risky because of the transmission of diseases, like zoonosis, and the drugs and antibiotics given to the dogs make the meat unhealthy.  (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade)

There are many restaurants that serve dog meat in South Korea, including restaurants in metropolitan and tourist areas.  (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade)  There are approximately 700 dog meat restaurants in Seoul, South Korea, alone.  (International Aid for Korean Animals, 2018, Asia Insight)

Dog meat is often more expensive than beef or pork in South Korea.  Dog meat restaurants are plentiful in South Korea, but many of these restaurants operate in back alleys and do not advertise they sell dog meat.  Besides the word “boshintang,” the words “yeongyangtang” and “sacheoltang” are used for dog meat soup, but are also used to describe soup made from other meats.  (Choi, 2018, Before Criticizing South Koreans Eating Dog, Know the Context First)

In South Korea, most dogs slaughtered for their meat are raised on dog meat farms.  The Korean Dog Farmers Association and dog meat farmers in South Korea are lobbying the South Korean government to legalize and expand the dog meat industry.  There are many large dog meat farms in South Korea, with the average farm having about a thousand dogs.  Although there are numerous dog meat farms, only around 8,700 dog meat farms were registered with the South Korean government in 2016.  (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade)  A 2010 census by the Korean Statistics Information Service showed there were 100,191 farms in South Korea at that time.  (Hyams, 2015, Former pets slaughtered for dog meat across Korea)

Some dog meat farmers catch abandoned dogs instead of breeding them for meat, while others take in dogs that people can no longer afford to keep, and put them into the dog meat trade.  (International Aid for Korean Animals, 2018, Asia Insight)

Although all types of dogs are slaughtered and eaten in South Korea, mastiffs, the balbari, “yellow” dogs, “white” dogs, and Jindo mixes are considered to be livestock and are raised for the purpose of human consumption in South Korea.  Many pet breeds, including huskies, malamutes, cocker spaniels, border collies, labradors, golden retrievers, saint bernards, greyhounds, beagles, shih tzus, shar peis, lhasa apsos, and mixed breed dogs are found at slaughter houses and dog farms in South Korea.  Dogs from pounds, pet auctions, and private owners are also slaughtered for human consumption in South Korea.  (Hyams, 2015, Former pets slaughtered for dog meat across Korea)  Mixed breed dogs are not well regarded in South Korea, with people referring to them as “dong-gae,” which means “dung dog.”  (Morrison, Rosalyn, Animal Welfare Institute, 2012, Friend or Food? South Korea’s cruel dog meat trade)

Some dog farmers say they try to keep good conditions at their farms, but conditions at the vast majority of dog farms in South Korea are inhumane and unsanitary.  Dead dogs remain in cages and litter the farms, and some live dogs eat the dead dogs.  Injured dogs do not receive medical care.  Water is usually mixed with a meat and food waste slurry, so the dogs don’t get adequate water, especially in warm or hot weather.  The dogs become dehydrated.   Many dogs are injured or have sores from cages, and some have bloody stools.  The dog meat farms stink because of massive amounts of dog urine and feces.  The dogs frequently suffer from eye irritations, infections, and bronchitis.  Dog farms are noisy and stressful to dogs.  A veterinarian in the documentary film The Dog Meat Professionals:  South Korea described the dog farm she visited as “hell for dogs.”  Many of the dogs are sick, but they are fattened up and sold for their meat anyway.  Some of the farmers save money by putting vaccines and other medications back in the bottle from the same syringe they used to inject dogs, thus contaminating the vaccines and medications.  The dogs are fed leftover human food, some of which is obtained from restaurants.  The leftovers contain human food that harms or is actually toxic and deadly to dogs.  The Control of Livestock and Fish Feed Act of South Korea requires that food waste is boiled for 30 minutes at 100 degrees Celsius before being fed to livestock animals (dogs and cats are on the livestock list in South Korea).  Even dog meat farmers who consider themselves to have higher standards do not usually boil the food.  A farmer in The Dog Meat Professionals:  South Korea said that 70% to 90% of dog meat farmers do not boil the food before feeding it to the dogs.  Food waste grows dangerous and deadly bacteria if it is not sanitized properly.  Dog meat farmers feed rotten food waste to the dogs, and add raw meat and water to the mix.  The farmers do not refrigerate the food and leave it out, allowing it to grow more bacteria.  Some of the dog meat from the slaughtered dogs is frozen to fill orders.  The frozen dog meat is also stored in unsanitary conditions.   (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade)

To control the outbreak of diseases on dog meat farms, dog farmers add antibiotics and other drugs to the dog’s food, often overusing or misusing the drugs.  The farmers disregard a ban, passed by the Korean government in 2011, on mixing antibiotics with animal feed on livestock farms.  (Hyams, 2015, Former pets slaughtered for dog meat across Korea)

South Korean government officials and police in South Korea have a lack of concern in regards to the dog meat trade.  Activists in the documentary Asian Dog Meat Report went to a dog meat farm in Yongin, Gyeonggi-Do, South Korea, and witnessed bad conditions on the farm.  The dogs on this farm live in filthy conditions.  The farm stinks and there is feces and urine everywhere.  The dog farmer feeds rotten human garbage to the dogs.  There is no roof on some of the cages, exposing the dogs to the weather, often to extreme heat and cold.  One of the activists called a representative at the Environmental Sanitation Division in Yongin, Gyeonggi-Do, about the conditions at the dog meat farm.  The activist asked if the agency actually went to the farm to investigate the conditions there, and the representative said the agency can’t investigate all the dog meat farms because the areas they cover are too large.  The activist told the representative that he (the representative) is getting paid with public tax dollars, but is just making excuses, and is “weak-kneed” on the matter.  The activist pointed out the farm is disgusting and the dog farmer uses more than the standard amount of antibiotics and growth hormones on the dogs. The activist also pointed out the public is eating the dogs thinking the meat is healthy, without the knowledge the dogs are being kept that way.  No further responses from the Environmental Sanitation Division in regards to this dog meat farm were mentioned in the documentary.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)

Government officials from the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs are tasked with inspecting dog meat farms and looking for illegal activities.  The inspectors are supposed to look at the conditions on dog meat farms, the health of the dogs, the hygiene of the facilities, the type of food and amount of water being given to the dogs, how many dogs are being bred, and what methods are used for breeding the dogs.  A dog meat farm inspector in the documentary film The Dog Meat Professionals:  South Korea tried to inspect a farm that had been in business for many years, but the owner told the inspector to leave the property and said he was going to sue him (the inspector).  The inspector said “I’m sorry” and left the property.  The veterinarian who accompanied the inspector to the dog meat farm told the inspector she saw an abused puppy on the farm, and also saw the dogs were not being provided water and were living in filthy conditions.  The veterinarian told the inspector he had the right to enter the dog meat farm and that he should call local authorities to rescue the puppy, and do something about the lack of water for the dogs and the unhygienic conditions.  The inspector responded with “I don’t have time for this,” and he did not inspect the farm.  There aren’t enough employees at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, to adequately inspect dog meat farms in South Korea.  Employees at this agency also manage other livestock, so they are not able to “crack down” on dog meat farms.  Animal welfare activists walk the streets where meat marketers keep dogs for slaughter to make sure the dogs are being fed and given water.   When the activists find problems, they report the issues to local authorities and threaten to sue the meat shop owners.  They also try to pressure dog meat shops to close by repeatedly filing civil complaints.  When activists and shop owners get into confrontations, the police usually break up the confrontations and tell the activists to leave.  The police do not normally take any action to stop cruelty to the dogs and cats or any other animals.  Animal welfare activists in South Korea are trying to get the South Korean government to revise the Animal Protection Act and the Animal Transportation Act to provide better protections to animals, emphasizing the government does not recognize animals as living creatures.  (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade)

Ms. Nami Kim of South Korea was part of an investigation into a dog meat farmer who was violating environmental regulations because of the way he dealt with the dog excrement on the farm.  Since dogs are considered livestock in South Korea, Ms. Kim’s complaint against the dog farmer had to be for violations of environmental regulations, such as water pollution and the method the farmer used to treat the dog’s excrement, not for his inhumane and often brutal treatment of the dogs.  During the investigation, the dog meat farmer told Ms. Kim he wanted her to kill him so the dogs would be safe. When Ms. Kim refused the dog farmer’s request to kill him, he hung a live dog, cut open its stomach, and tore out its internal organs.  He then fed the dog’s organs to other dogs.  He did all of this in front of Ms. Kim.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)

Problems at dog meat farms have been occurring for years, and the South Korean government usually won’t act against the dog meat farmers unless the South Korean media broadcasts the situation.  The South Korean government often ignores foreign media reports about the dog meat trade in South Korea. (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)

Dogs are mostly killed by electrocution in South Korea, but others are hung and beaten to death.  Some dogs are repeatedly beaten on the snout and then their throats are slit, with some of them still conscious.  The dogs are then boiled, with some dogs still conscious and alive.  After the dogs are boiled, they are thrown into a machine that removes their hair and then they are blowtorched to remove any hair that remains on their body.  Dogs are often slaughtered in front of each other, which petrifies the dogs waiting to be slaughtered.  (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade)  Dogs are also shot in the head, hit over the head with a metal bar and their throats are slit while they are still alive, with some of the dogs waking up and struggling to survive. The dogs are also hung by the neck, and blowtorched while alive.  (Hyams, The Korea Observer, 2015, Former pets slaughtered for dog meat across Korea)  Hanging dogs by the neck or slaughtering dogs in a cruel manner or in front of other dogs is in violation of Article 7 Clause 1 of the South Korean Animal Protection Act.  The Animal Protection Act allows for a fine of up to 10 million won (about $9,000) and for imprisonment up to one year, and the suspension or cancellation of the business which violated the law.  Violators are not usually caught, but if they are, the penalty is just a small fine, and nowhere near the fine allowed by the Animal Protection Act.   Animal welfare organizations file complaints against individuals who violate the South Korean Animal Protection Act, but very few violators are ever punished.  (Hyams, Lee, Garcia, 2017, Dog Meat Professionals, Investigative Documentary about Korea’s Dog Meat Trade)  There are many instances where police do not enforce laws to protect animals.  Ms. Nami Kim, a former university professor and expert on religion and philosophy, reported a South Korean restaurant owner to police for brutally killing a dog.  The owner of the restaurant paid a bribe to the policeman to ignore the situation. (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)

Some of the dogs in South Korea are slaughtered at the farms, but farmers also sell live dogs to brokers who then sell the dogs to markets, slaughterhouses, and health stores that make gaesoju (dog tonic or juice).   When dogs are transported, they are cramped on top of each other in small transport cages which are piled several cages high.  Many dogs die during transport.  (Hyams, 2015, Former pets slaughtered for dog meat across Korea)

Before being closed down, the Taepyeong-dong dog slaughterhouse, located in Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province in South Korea, was South Korea’s biggest and most notorious illegal dog slaughterhouse.  On November 22, 2018, the Taepyeong-dong dog meat slaughterhouse was shut down after constant efforts by Humane Society International and South Korean animal rights activists. Butchers at the slaughterhouse had brutally slaughtered hundreds of thousands of dogs each year.  Much of the dog meat was sold to nearby Moran Market, also located in Seongnam City, South Korea. Humane organizations hope the closure of the Taepyeong-dong dog slaughterhouse will trigger the closure of other illegal dog slaughterhouses throughout South Korea.  South Korea’s infamous Moran Market was the largest dog meat market in South Korea, but the vendor stalls at the Moran Market that sell live dogs will be closed.  Dog meat is still sold at pop-up stalls at Moran Market. Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, was set to close dog slaughterhouses at the Kyungdong Market in Dongdaemun, South Korea, in 2019.  (Wilkinson, Bard & Seo, Yoonjung, CNN, 2018, South Korea closes largest dog meat slaughterhouse)

In July 2019, Humane Society International and humane organizations in South Korea were able to shut down the Gupo dog meat market in Busan, South Korea’s second largest city.  The Gupo dog meat market was one of South Korea’s largest markets.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Breaking Video: South Korea shuts down notorious Gupo dog meat market in latest crack down on increasingly unpopular dog meat trade; more than 80 dogs saved from slaughter)

In October 2019, dog meat shops in Seoul, South Korea, agreed to stop slaughtering dogs onsite.  The shops still serve dog meat, but the dogs are slaughtered elsewhere.  (Humane Society International/South Korea, 2019, South Korea’s capital city declared free of dog slaughtering after dog meat shops work with Seoul mayor to end city-wide killing)

Dog meat farms and slaughterhouses mostly operate without any interference and often operate for decades.  One such case is the Cheonan dog meat farm and slaughterhouse in Cheonan, South Korea, where dogs were hung by ropes and burned alive with a blow torch, in the presence of other dogs.  This farm and slaughterhouse was about 1.5 hours south of Seoul, South Korea, and had been in operation for about 20 years.  On July 21, 2019, CARE (Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth), received a complaint about the Cheonan dog meat farm and went there to investigate.  They found horrid conditions, with two dogs hanging from ropes.  One of the dogs had already been burnt alive with a blow torch, and the other dog was rescued and given CPR and survived.  CARE activists reported the owner to South Korean police for a gross violation of the Animal Protection Act.  (CARE, 2019, Investigation and Rescue in Cheonan)

Humane organizations are often at odds with South Korean officials when they try to rescue dogs from dog meat farms and slaughterhouses.  According to CARE’s Facebook page, the owner of the Cheonan dog meat farm and slaughterhouse was arrested and relinquished 100 dogs to CARE.  When CARE went back to the slaughterhouse on July 26, 2019 to do a live broadcast, the City of Cheonan, which had received complaints from people who were against the rescue of the dogs, said none of the dogs could be removed from the slaughterhouse property.  Cheonan City officials told CARE they could not remove the dogs from the slaughterhouse property until the dogs were advertised by the city for adoption.  When CARE activists and volunteers went on the property to check on the dogs on July 27, 2019, they found many dead dogs under debris.  The dogs that were still alive were ill, and had heartworms and skin infections.  One of the dogs that had appeared healthy the day before, was found dead, one day after CARE attempted to rescue the dogs from the property.  (CARE Facebook entry July 27, 2019, Time is Running Out for Dogs at the Cheonan Slaughterhouse)

At the end of July 2019, CARE sued the Cheonan dog meat farm and slaughterhouse and asked for the city of Cheonan to protect the remaining dogs.  The City of Cheonan, citing quarantine measures, restricted access to CARE volunteers to care for and remove the dogs, so the dogs continued to die.  After CARE activists protested on July 30, 2019, the city of Cheonan let them on the property to care for the dogs.  They found dead puppies and other dogs suffering from severe wounds (protruding bones, and worm-infested throat wounds due to ropes).  The dogs lived in filthy conditions.  CARE activists and volunteers fed and watered the dogs, and took them out of their cages.  (CARE, 2019, Cheonan Dog Slaughterhouse Update)  On August 6, 2019, the dogs were transferred to a temporary shelter provided by Cheonan City.  This was the first time that Cheonan city provided an external shelter site for rescued animals.  When the CARE activists and volunteers went to the Cheonan dog meat farm and slaughterhouse, they said the dogs wagged their tails upon seeing them, but also struggled and showed fear when being put into cages for transport to the shelter.  Once they were safe at the shelter, the dogs relaxed.   CARE will seek permanent homes for the dogs.  (CARE, 2019, More than 100 dogs escape slaughterhouse)

Since 2015, Humane Society International has rescued over 2,000 dogs from dog meat farms, and is attempting to shut down more dog meat farms in South Korea.  Humane Society International has been working with dog meat farmers to transition them to another way of making a sustainable living, such as medicinal herb farming, water parsley farming, or blueberry farming.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Closing South Korea’s Dog Meat Farms)  The farmers sign a legally-binding agreement with Humane Society International to shut down their dog meat farm, and agree not to return to farming dogs or any other animals.  Humane Society International then improves the living conditions of the dogs currently on the farm being shut down, and gives them vaccinations so they can travel overseas to be adopted.  While Humane Society International is working on plans to move the dogs to their shelter, they perform random inspections to make sure the dogs are safe, fed, and medically treated for any illnesses and injuries.  The cages that housed the dogs are destroyed after the dogs are permanently removed.  (Humane Society International, 2019, Shutting down a dog meat farm)

The dog and cat fur trade in SOUTH KOREA:

Dogs and cats are listed as companion animals under the Animal Protection Act in South Korea, but dogs are also listed as livestock in the Livestock Industry Act.  (Last Chance for Animals, 2019, Every year, a million dogs are brutally slaughtered in S. Korea for meat while the government turns a blind eye)

In 1991, South Korea enacted the Animal Protection Act which bans animal abuse and inhumane slaughter, and defines the proper care, feeding, and housing of pets.  The Animal Protection Act was revised in 2011 to increase punishment for violating this law.  (Hyun-ju, 2016, Awareness of Animal Rights Grows in Korea)

In June 2018, South Korean Congressman Chang Won Pyo proposed an amendment to the Animal Protection Act to more effectively ban the illegal slaughter of dogs and cats in South Korea.  (International Aid for Korean Animals, 2018, Winter 2018 IAKA Newsletter)

South Korea does not have any known fur farms.  (Animal Rights Center Japan, 2016, Joint of Japan-China-HongKong-Korea-Taiwan For Fur Free Campaign #FurfreeAsia)

South Korea receives imports of fur and fur products from China.  Some of the products are made of dog and cat fur.  (ACT Asia, 2019, China’s fur trade and its position in the global fur industry)

Soi Dog Foundation is working with South Korean senior government officials to enact and/or strengthen animal welfare laws and to eventually ban the dog meat industry in South Korea.  (Soi Dog Foundation, 2019, Ending the Dog Meat Trade)

The dog meat trade in NORTH KOREA (Asia):

Dog meat has been a “national food since olden times” in North Korea. North Koreans believe dog meat is good for stamina, and that it “cures heat.”  Dog meat is usually eaten as a soup and is traditionally eaten during the three hottest days of the year (usually sometime in July and August).  The hotter the weather, the more demand there is for dog meat.  North Korea has dog meat farms, although the number of farms is not known outside of North Korea.  Very little is known about the number of dogs eaten in North Korea because it is a closed society.  (Talmadge, 2018, ‘It’s healthier than other kinds of meat’: North Koreans eat dog meat to beat the heat)

North Korea is considered a high-risk area for rabies from dogs.  (CDC, 2021, High-Risk Countries for Dog Rabies)

The dog and cat meat trade in JAPAN (Asia):

Japan imports dog and cat meat for human consumption.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)

An investigation conducted by the World Dog Alliance in 2018 showed there are over 100 dog meat restaurants in Japan, with an estimated 500 U.S. tons (453 metric tons) being imported into Japan since around 2004.  Five-hundred tons is equivalent to the amount of meat harvested from 100,000 dogs.  World Dog Alliance is urging Japanese legislators to ban human consumption of dog meat in Japan.  (Mak, 2019, Tokyo Dog Meat Investigation)

Most Japanese people do not know about the existence of human dog meat consumption in Japan.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)

China and Vietnam export frozen dog meat to Japan.  Some of the restaurants in Japan that serve dog meat are in Shin-okubo, Ikebukuro, Ueno, Osaka, Nagoya, and Yokohama.  In the documentary film Asian Dog Meat Report, an activist from Koreandogs (.org) visited Japanese restaurants that serve dog meat and asked them to stop serving it.  A restaurant owner in Yokohama got angry at him and said that dog meat is cultural and it was none of the activist’s business to ask him to stop selling the meat.  The activist tried to petition city council members (in an unnamed city) to ban dog meat, saying “dog meat is the by-product of atrocities and crimes committed in the dog meat trade.”  The activist showed the council members videos of a dog being held down with a pole in a boiling cauldron of water, a live dog being thrown into a barrel of boiling water with men holding the top down so the dog could not escape, a dog being hung and blow-torched to death while the public walks by, a dog being beaten to death at a slaughterhouse, and dogs in a small cage being stabbed.  The council members were upset by what they saw and appealed to several lawmakers, with no results.  Meat from microchipped pet dogs is imported into Japan, but Japanese import administration officials state they are not aware that imported dog meat is mixed with pet dogs.  Some people fight dogs against each other in Japan and there are suspicions that these people eat the dogs that lose the fights.  (Kitada, 2018, Asian Dog Meat Report)

Japan instituted the 1973 Act on Welfare and Management of Animals on October 1, 1973, and it was revised in May 2014.  The Act states that no person shall destroy, injure, or inflict cruelty on animals without reason.  (1973 Act on Welfare and Management of Animals, 1973 and 2014)

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