Dogs are faithful companions to humans and are lovingly touted as man’s best friend.
One of the most common household pets that are raised in human homes, many feel great love for these furry creatures as they would a fellow human, or maybe even more than that.
However, it hasn’t always been as such.
Can you imagine someone actually killing and eating the precious animals that give so much comfort to dog owners?
The consumption of dog meat actually dates back to thousands of years ago, in regions such as China and Korea, where they were eaten as a food source which was believed to have health properties.
That’s why non-Asians always make fun of Asians for eating dogs, even though most countries have already banned the slaughter and trade of dog meat in recent years.
And some people still eat dogs.
Many people around the world think of the consumption of dog meat and slaughter of dogs for food as a sacrilege and have been more active in protesting against it.
Including in Korea where it is still legal and not banned yet.
Over a fifth of the Korean population keeps dogs as a household pet, which explains the passion most of them have against the ban.
Recently, there was one such protest in South Korea – but the fight still remains tough, with dog meat farmers savagely striking back at the activists during the protest.
Down With Dog Meat
On 12 July, Friday, a group of animal rights activities held a rally in front of the National Assembly building of South Korea, in protest of further dog meat trade and consumption.
They wished for a revised Animal Protection Act bill to be passed, whereby if passed, it would be illegal for animals such as dogs and cats who are not specified as livestock to be slaughtered.
It was first proposed by Rep. Pyo Chang Won of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea in June 2018, but the bill has not even been properly reviewed to date and is still pending.
The group, who claims that the delay of the passing of this bill has caused more than a million dogs’ slaughter, set up a symbolic altar at the rally which displayed life-size replicas of dogs that had been electrocuted at dog farms.
One protester even carried the carcass of a real dog who had died due to harsh conditions at the farm.
Hollywood Joins In
Veteran Hollywood actress Kim Basinger, a vocal animal rights activist, joined in the rally as well. She even held onto a life-sized electrocuted dog replica of her own.
Reaching out to Korean celebrities to join her in the fight to speak out, she said: “I would love for anyone out there who can hear this who is a celebrity in the area to come and get involved in this movement. I love K-pop and celebrities from Seoul. If you are out there, be brave, be bold.”
This only goes to show how dedicated the activists are to their cause.
On A Symbolic Day
The day that the rally took place on also happened to be a symbolic day. It was the day of “chobok”, a day dedicated to welcoming the hottest day of summer, according to the Korean lunar calendar.
Traditionally, Koreans are supposed to eat hot, meaty soup dishes on this day, the most popular being chicken ginseng soup (samgyetang) to regain stamina.
However, some of the older citizens still prefer going with the older ways and consume dog meat, even though the number is declining.
The group probably decided to hold the rally on that day in hopes that next year’s chobok will be different, with no one consuming dog meat any longer.
It’s Slowly Changing
Many things and traditions change over time, and the consumption of dog meat is one of them. 46% of Koreans support a ban on dog meat consumption, while only 18.5% are against a ban on it, as revealed in a 2018 Realmeter poll held by rally organizers Animal Liberation Wave (ALW) and Last Chance for Animals (LCA).
Traditional markets that specialise in dog meat have also been diminishing in recent years, where most recent shut down was of the Gupo livestock market in Busan, just one day before the rally on 11 July, Thursday.
But… A Dog Tasting Session Is Underway
I don’t know if this is plain savage, or ironic, or both.
It’s just sad.
To fight back against the anti-dog meat protesters, dog farmers held a rally of their own, just 10 metres away from the other rally.
Activities at their rally included a dog meat tasting session. Yep, you read that right.
It feels like a direct slap in the face to the protesters who are against the consumption of dog meat to consume it near them. Oof.
Well… I guess since it’s chobok, they’re just following tradition. Right?
The farmers also argued that dogs should be considered on par with other livestock.
And that around 70,000 people who work in the industry of dog meat trade depend on it for jobs and their livelihoods would be at stake.
It’s already well into the 21st century where dogs are considered to be lifelong companions and family.
Since it already has that kind of societal value, eating them would just be weird.
Hopefully, things will start turning around with enough force.
Here’s a simplified summary of the South Korea martial law that even a 5-year-old would understand:
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