Culture or cruelty?
Dog selling and dog eating in South Korea

a presentation by eugene clifton cha

WHY IS THIS AN ISSUE RIGHT NOW?

Less than a week ago, on November 28, 2001, French actress-turned-activist Bridget Bardot implored South Korea to stop their practice of eating dogs. According to Reuters, she said, “Korea needs to listen to what foreigners say about the eating of dog meat as it harms Korea’s image… Though Koreans do not eat their pet dogs, eating dog meat is part of Korean culture.” She argues, “Dogs are humans’ friends, not animals for food, helping the blind walk, so eating dog meat is like eating humans.”

With South Korea co-hosting the 2002 World Cup with Japan next summer, there is more international pressure for South Korea to take a vigilant stand against dog cruelty and for animal rights. FIFA, the world soccer organization that coordinates the World Cup, has urged South Korea to take immediate steps to end the beating and burning of dogs. Animal rights groups mostly in the United States and Britain are threatened a World Cup boycott unless the Korean government stops the sale of dog meat, according to an August 2001 CNN report.

IS IT REALLY TRADITION?

In South Korea, some dogs are bred to be eaten in a spicy soup called “poshintang,” or literally “body preservation stew.” Advocates say it is good for your health and considered a delicacy, and some say it helps people become more sexually active and more powerful. Supporters also say that there is archaeological evidence to suggest that Koreans have eaten dogs for thousands of years, and that it is a part of the culture. Hence, this is the reason why many Koreans, mostly older men, eat “poshintang” during the summer.

Partly in response to the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, the South Korean government placed a ban on the butchering of dogs. But, this ban is widely ignored, and National Assembly members are trying to lift the ban because they feel Korea needs to be more open and confident of its culture, according to the BBC new source.

DO FOREIGNERS REALLY HAVE A LEGITIMATE SAY IN THIS DEBATE?

Some say absolutely not. According to the Korea Times, “many ordinary Koreans feel that outsiders have no business interfering in what is an important domestic tradition.” One person said, “It is obvious ethnocentrism for some narrow-minded Westerners to denounce other people for eating certain meat which they don’t consume. If they don’t like a certain kind of meat, then they shouldn’t eat it and just shut up instead of sticking their noses into the eating practices of others.”

SO WHAT DO THESE DOGS ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO THROUGH?

Let me show you. The images you are going to see detail the process of making dog cuisine. They are graphic and may be difficult for you to take in. Also, these are images from an animal rights website (Korean Animal Protection Society) so they are presented in a way that is understandably biased.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Think that killing dogs is a horrendous practice, and that eating them is absolutely horrific? Should the South Korean enforce more strictly their laws against the sale of dog meat? Before you make a decision, consider the fact that you have grown up in America (most of you—not Achiko J) where Westernized values prevail. Is it really fair for people of other cultures to denounce what another does as a cultural habit? Or is it pretty legitimate? Share your thoughts.

final thought: With the 2002 World Cup bringing international attention to South Korea, “any move to re-legalize the industry would risk unnecessarily incurring the wrath of the dog-loving world.”