Cat carcass photos labeled ‘meat for sale’ surface on Vietnamese Facebook community

A post offering to sell cat meat appeared on an online community for Vietnamese people in Korea. The poster even uploaded a photo of a cat carcass and instructed users to contact them via private message.

The Vietnamese-language post, titled “cat meat,” was uploaded on Oct. 12 to the group “Changwon-Masan-Gimhae [South Gyeongsang] Vietnamese Group” (translated). “Send me a private message,” the poster wrote.

Photos attached to the post show an unblurred cat carcass being weighed on top of a Styrofoam box bearing Korean labels that read “fresh food” and “fragile, handle with care.”

It remains unclear where the carcass came from or whether any sale actually took place.

Under Korea’s Animal Protection Act, anyone who kills an animal without justifiable cause or causes its death through cruel means can face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won ($23,000).

Capturing and killing unowned animals roaming outdoors, including stray cats, can also be punishable under the law.

The consumption of dog and cat meat is permitted in Vietnam.

A Vietnamese family in Hong Kong was previously sentenced to prison for selling dog and cat meat. Three people — a Vietnamese couple and their son-in-law — were sentenced to prison in September 2024 for operating an unlicensed restaurant from an apartment in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, according to the South China Morning Post.

The family claimed they did not know that selling dog and cat meat was illegal in Hong Kong.

BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]