LAST SEASON OF LEGAL DOG MEAT CONSUMPTION

SEONGNAM, AUGUST 14 /SRNA - Reuters/ - Today is the final day of the dog meat festival - Boknal in South Korea, traditionally held during the hottest days of the year, before a ban on the sale and consumption of dog meat takes full effect early next year.

"Moran Market in Seongnam, once one of the country's best-known centres for dog meat sales, it is now deserted," said Kim Jong-buk, president of the Moran Market Merchants' Association. He said many restaurants have switched to black goat soup and other dishes, while the few remaining customers who still order dog meat soup are mostly elderly people. The third Boknal, or "hot day" of the year was the last one before a nationwide ban on the breeding, slaughter and sale of dogs for human consumption takes full effect in February 2027. The ban comes amid a long-term decline in dog meat consumption, as more people keep dogs as pets and changing attitudes toward animal welfare are influencing public opinion. In a survey published shortly before the law was passed in 2024, more than 90 percent of respondents said they did not intend to eat dog meat in the future, while more than 80 percent supported the ban. Nearly 95 percent of respondents said they had not eaten dog meat during the previous year.