Home > National > Social Affairs

New laws, changing attitudes spell end of controversial Korean summer dish

Published: 20 Jul. 2025, 14:22 Updated: 20 Jul. 2025, 15:50

Tourists walk past a bosintang (dog meat soup) restaurant in central Seoul on Sept. 26, 2024. [NEWS1]

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not here for dog meat.”

At lunchtime on Thursday, just three days before Chobok — the first of Korea’s three hottest days according to the lunar calendar, when people typically eat a hot bowl of soup — a man surnamed Park, 58, stood hesitantly at the entrance of a bosintang, or dog meat soup, restaurant in Jung District, central Seoul.

Pointing awkwardly toward a sign advertising samgyetang (chicken ginseng soup) and yeomsotang (black goat stew), he said, “I just happened to be in the neighborhood and thought I’d drop by for some samgyetang because it reminded me of the old days,” adding with an embarrassed smile, “Nowadays, people look askance at bosintang, so I find myself unconsciously wary of others’ glances.”

“There used to be a slaughterhouse in the market and a lot of bosintang restaurants, but that’s all in the past,” said Jin, 74, the owner of the restaurant. “Most customers now come for other dishes, not bosintang.”

True to his words, the only customers inside the restaurant that day were ordering yeomsotang or samgyetang. The scene reflects the changed landscape of bosintang alleyways since the enactment of the Special Act on the Termination of Breeding, Slaughter, and Distribution of Dogs for Consumption, which took effect last August.

Pedestrians walk by a bosintang (dog meat soup) restaurant in Seoul on Feb. 9. [NEWS1]

A picture of bosintang, or dog meat soup [JOONGANG ILBO]

Under the law, anyone who slaughters, breeds, raises or distributes dogs for consumption faces up to three years in prison. Although actual punishment has been deferred until February 2027, the law’s passage is widely known and it has become increasingly rare to see diners frequenting bosintang restaurants on Boknal — the three traditionally hottest days of summer when Koreans used to eat bosintang or samgyetang.

Other bosintang hubs in Seoul tell much the same story. At Gyeongdong Market in Dongdaemun District, which once had over 20 bosintang restaurants clustered together, only a handful remain. Most owners have already closed up shop after receiving government subsidies for demolition and reemployment, or have changed their signs to advertise yeomsotang or samgyetang instead. Unless a customer is a longtime regular, it has become difficult to order bosintang.

Longtime bosintang enthusiasts expressed regret.

“If more people start raising goats, will they ban goat stew next?" said Bae Jung-won, 78, visiting a goat stew restaurant in Gyeongdong Market. "If more people raise chicks, will they outlaw samgyetang too?”

A yeomsotang (black goat soup) restaurant [JOONGANG ILBO]

He raised his voice before adding, “They say the law has changed and even this place, where I’ve been coming for years, no longer sells it. What choice do I have but to eat something else?” he said, turning away.

As demand for bosintang declines, dog farms are also closing rapidly. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, between last August, when the law was enacted, and February, 623 dog farms have decided to shut down across the country. That amounts to 40.5 percent of the country’s 1,537 dog farms closing within just six months. The government expects another 315 farms to close within the year as it plans to reduce further compensation payments for closures to speed up the process.

Slaughterhouses have similarly disappeared. Since the closure of the slaughterhouses at Gyeongdong and Seoul Jungang markets in 2019, there are no longer any officially operating slaughterhouses for dogs in Seoul. Some unlicensed facilities have continued operating in secret in certain areas, but vendors say those, too, will inevitably shut down as demand has dried up.

“With the slaughterhouses gone and hardly any customers asking for it, we no longer deal in dog meat,” Kim, 68, a meat seller at Gyeongdong Market, said. “If someone does ask, I just tell them to try somewhere like Daerim-dong.”

As demand for bosintang dwindles, people are turning to other dishes regarded as stamina food in the summer, such as samgyetang, ori baeksuk (boiled duck) and jangeotang (eel soup). Among them, yeomsotang has emerged as a popular alternative, thanks to its similar taste and preparation method to bosintang.

An anti-dog meat festival held on July 9, 2017, in central Seoul [JOONGANG ILBO]

As a result, goat meat imports have been steadily rising. According to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, goat meat imports reached 8,349 tons last year, up 35 percent from 6,180 tons the previous year. This year, 3,857 tons had already been imported by May, surpassing last year’s volume.

Despite the law, some have voiced opposition. In May, Johns Hopkins University student Jeong Philip and lawyer Jeong Min-gyu of Law Firm Pyeong Cheon filed a constitutional petition challenging the law. The Korea Dog Meat Association (translated) also filed a petition with the Constitutional Court in March last year, arguing that the law violates the freedom to eat and the occupational freedom of those in the industry.

However, regardless of the court’s decision, industry insiders widely agree that bosintang alleyways are unlikely to revive. With most dog farms and slaughterhouses already closed and public sentiment, especially among younger people, increasingly hostile toward the practice, the industry faces an uphill battle. The rise in households raising pets such as dogs is also contributing to the trend.

“The implementation of the dog meat ban is a milestone for our society in redefining the relationship between humans and animals,” said Chae Il-taek, director of the Korean Animal Welfare Association.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY HWANG KUN-KANG [[email protected]]