No more a dog’s world in South Korea

A RESCUE operation to save hundreds of dogs in South Korea from the slaughterhouse began yesterday, as pressure mounts on the country to end its custom of killing canines for meat.

About 1 million dogs are eaten a year in South Korea, often as a summer delicacy, with the greasy red meat — invariably boiled for tenderness — believed to increase energy.

But the tradition has earned criticism abroad and has declined as the nation increasingly embraces the idea of dogs as pets instead of livestock, with eating them now something of a taboo among young South Koreans.

The two-week rescue operation by animal protection group Humane Society International will save about 200 canines at a dog farm in Hongseong county, 150 kilometers south of Seoul.

The dogs will then be sent to Canada and the United States for rehousing. “These dogs are no different from any other dogs. Once they receive some tender loving care that they deserve and that they need,” Kelly O’Meara, an HSI official, said.

The organization said it has rescued around 1,600 dogs since 2015, with farmers given support to move into other lines of work. One transformed his dog meat business into a blueberry farm.

Lee Sang-gu, the owner of the Hongseong farm, said he decided to change his business because it was “not profitable anymore.”

(AFP)