South Korea’s Dog Meat Culture – How the Legalization Debate Is Playing Out in a Clash of Tradition and Modern Ethics

South Korea’s dog meat culture is a long-standing tradition that continues to be debated, and the social, economic, and hygiene aspects of legalization are being discussed. The nutritional benefits of dog meat and the need for hygiene control are raised, while others argue that legalization should ensure transparent distribution and safe consumption.

 

The debate for and against dog meat culture in South Korea has been going on for a long time. Korean animal rights groups and animal protection associations have criticized dog meat culture and have consistently opposed the legalization of dogs as livestock. This is largely due to the fact that dogs are loved as pets and have long been recognized as family members. Dog meat culture has also been criticized overseas as barbaric and should be eliminated. For example, during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, there was a period of time when bossintang restaurants in Seoul had to take down all their signs or change the word “bossintang” to “sacheoltang,” “antelope soup,” or “antelope soup” in order to avoid criticism from foreign media.
Recently, however, there has been a growing consensus that love and compassion for dogs should not be enough to stop the legalization of the dog meat industry. The reason for legalizing dog meat is that there has been a consistent demand for dog meat and a significant number of people who seek it out. It is also argued that not accepting dog meat as part of our own culture is a denial of the value of cultural relativism. In this situation, the government is torn on the issue of legalizing dog meat: legalizing it will draw criticism from animal rights groups and abroad, and delaying it will open the door to further criticism of cultural relativism.
Before we get into the pros and cons of legalizing dog meat, let’s look at its nutritional and cultural characteristics: dog meat is nutritionally rich in essential amino acids and is similar in nutrient composition to beef, pork, and chicken. The Dongbogam describes dog meat as “warm in nature, aiding blood circulation, relaxing the five bowels, and raising Yang Qi to enhance energy.” Dog meat also has many other benefits and appealing qualities, such as its tendency to tear easily when cooked, making it much easier to digest than other meats, and its nutrient content can be maximized through a variety of cooking methods.
Historically, dogs are believed to be the first animals to be domesticated by humans on the Korean peninsula, and traces of dog meat culture can be found in various artifacts and texts from the Three Kingdoms period. The culture of eating bossintang on Lucky Day is also a unique custom that dates back to the Joseon Dynasty. Representative cookbooks from the Joseon Dynasty, such as the Joseon Mussangshin Style of Cooking, the Gyeonggyeong Magazine, and the Gyuhap Chongseo, also cover dog meat dishes in detail. No other country in the world has such a widespread culture of eating dog meat. As such, dog meat has many benefits as an ingredient and is a traditional part of Korean food culture. These qualities are a strong argument in favor of legalizing dog meat.
But the real reason for legalizing dog meat is hygiene. In Korea, the overall hygiene management of livestock products is governed by the Livestock Products Hygiene Management Act, which was established by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Article 2, paragraph 1 of the Livestock Hygiene Management Act defines livestock as cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, ducks, and other animals intended for human consumption (deer, rabbits, turkeys, geese, quails, pheasants, pheasants, and donkeys). These animals are subject to the Sanitary Control of Animal Products Act, which requires strict procedures for their sale and distribution. In fact, the Sanitary Control of Livestock Products Act covers in great detail the inspection methods, inspectors, inspection locations, and standards for acceptance as food. From slaughtering, processing, and packaging methods to storage, transportation, distribution, and sales, all processes of livestock products to consumers are strictly and hygienically managed by the Livestock Hygiene Management Act. In particular, according to the Enforcement Rules of the Livestock Hygiene Management Act, livestock products must be refrigerated or frozen through a cold chain system when transported. A cold chain system is a system that prevents food from spoilage and deterioration and distributes food at a temperature lower than room temperature from the moment it is processed to the moment it is delivered to the consumer.
Meat, along with dairy products, is a food group that requires a cold chain system because it loses its freshness rapidly and quickly spoils due to microbial growth if it is not kept at a lower temperature than other food groups. However, because dogs are not recognized as livestock, any industry involved in the distribution and sale of dog meat is effectively illegal. This means that there is no legal sanction, so there is no need for transparency and no need for hygienic and safe procedures. This means that when you see a dog meat dish on your table, you have no way of knowing if it’s edible or not, or if the slaughter and distribution process was hygienic. Given the high demand for dog meat in South Korea, this is a huge problem, as many people are putting their health at risk and not fulfilling their right to know about dog food. The government needs to step in and legalize the dog meat industry and ensure that the slaughter, distribution, processing, and sale of dogs for human consumption is as strictly controlled as any other meat.
It is also urgent to introduce a HACCP certification system for dog meat. Just as HACCP certification is virtually mandatory for the processing and distribution of livestock products, dog meat should also be HACCP-certified to ensure that it is safe and hygienic for consumers. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP), commonly referred to as a “hazard critical control point,” is a system for eliminating hazards to the safety of livestock throughout the entire process of raising, slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distributing livestock. HACCP is thoroughly applied by 7 principles and 12 procedures, and the hazards are broadly divided into biological, chemical, and physical factors, including microorganisms, parasites, chemicals, pesticides, pesticide residues, food additives, colors, hair, dust, and metal objects. In addition, strict standards are applied to the temperature, pressure, and pH of the workplace. While HACCP certification is not a legal requirement, businesses that are not certified are often shunned by consumers because they lack hygienic credibility. Since dogs are not currently legal livestock, there is no reason for the dog meat industry to choose HACCP certification. It is expensive and complicated to emphasize hygiene and ensure transparency in the supply chain, so unless it comes under legal scrutiny, it is unlikely to adopt HACCP certification.
The opposition to the legalization of the dog meat industry has the side effect of allowing governments to sit on the sidelines and allow the distribution and sale of dog meat, which currently has no known source or process, to go unchecked. Given that the demand for dog meat has been and will continue to be high, it is imperative for public health and safe food consumption that the law be amended to include a new definition of edible dogs and that dog meat be subject to the same regulations as other livestock products. Along with legalization, HACCP certification should also be widely adopted so that consumers can be assured that dog meat is as hygienic as other livestock products. Furthermore, it is necessary to think about public health and industry ethics.