Korean Chindo - Dog breeds are not a scientifically defined biological classification, but are groups of dogs defined by hobby clubs called hobby clubs.

The main breed of dog for consumption in Korea is the Nureongi, or Korean edible dog, which is different from those breeds kept as pets. However, in 2015, there were media reports that in addition to the Nureong breed, many other dog breeds, including former pets, are eaten in Korea. Various dog breeds are also eaten in many other parts of East and South Asia, including parts of China and the Philippines.

Only a small percentage of the population in Korea regularly eat dog meat, despite the fact that up to 30% of South Koreans have tried dog meat at least once in their lives. In Korea, there is a large musical group of people who oppose the practice of eating dog meat. However, this meat also has a large group of supporters who advocate the preservation of the traditional culture of Korea with its centuries-old history.

According to BBC News, in 2003, approximately 4,000 to 6,000 restaurants in Korea offered soups made from dog meat. These soups cost about $10, and steamed dog dishes with rice cost about $25. The BBC claims that up to 8,500 tons of dog meat are consumed in Korean kitchens each year.

Dog meat is most commonly consumed during the summer months, in the form of soups or stews. Such soups are believed to provide good health by balancing the vital energy of the body.

International attention

In 1988, the South Korean government urged its citizens not to eat dog meat during the Summer Olympics in Seoul to avoid publicity. Also during this time, all restaurants serving the most popular dog meat dishes were closed in order to improve the country's image. However, in 1998, a review article reported that, despite an official government ban for ten years, nearly 20,000 restaurants continued to serve dog meat.

Discussions on this difficult topic for the country flared up again in 2001 during the World Cup. The championship organizers, under pressure from animal rights groups, demanded that the Korean government find possible ways to resolve the issue. An animal rights movement has prompted people to boycott unless the government bans the sale of dog meat in Seoul restaurants. However, this movement turned out to be unfair and inappropriate for a large number of Koreans and did not change the situation.

What do Koreans cook?

The most popular dog food is posinthan soup. It is often called the dish of immortality. The meat is boiled together with pieces of green onion, dandelion and perilla feathers. Koreans say that this soup has a beneficial effect on the body, rejuvenates the body and prolongs life. And in men it also has a positive effect on potency. But Asians, when luring tourists to their restaurants, say this about almost every dish.

In addition to the famous dog meat soup, restaurants serve dishes with sweet and sour sauce. One of the popular dishes among locals is dog paws with garlic sauce. European tourists who decide to try this food say that dog meat is something between pork and beef, but with stronger nuances of taste.

Is it true that they eat dogs in North Korea now? It is unknown. This is a closed country where there is not even the Internet, so it is difficult to find reliable information. What is known is that some restaurants in North Korea serve dog meat dishes on special orders and for a lot of money.

Discussions about eating dog meat in Korea

Some people in Korea who eat boshintang (translated as "invigorating soup") believe that it has medicinal properties, and in particular increases male energy. Dog meat is believed by Koreans to help maintain heat balance and can help avoid overheating during hot weather, although in China dog meat is consumed mainly during the winter months, as the Chinese believe that it increases heat. Despite this, there is no scientific evidence to support these properties and health benefits of consuming dog meat.

Many Korean Buddhists consider eating dog meat a crime. Unlike beef, pork or poultry, dog meat does not have legal status as food in South Korea. Consequently, farms that raise and prepare dogs of various breeds operate in a semi-legal position. As a result, Korea has no regulations requiring the humane slaughter of dogs for meat.

The controversy surrounding the consumption of dog meat centers on slaughter methods, which include the use of electric shock, asphyxiation by hanging, and physically beating the dog to death. Sometimes dogs that are still alive are thrown into boiling water to remove their fur. Some people in South Korea believe that dog meat should be legalized so that legal producers can operate in a more humane and sanitary manner. However, again, many people believe that this practice should be prohibited by law altogether.

Recently, some Koreans have changed their views on eating dog meat and consider it "unnecessarily cruelty." Since 1988, international animal welfare activists have regularly campaigned against the consumption of dog meat in South Korea. However, Korean nationalists defend traditional Korean cuisine and accuse animal welfare activists of forcing "Westernization." A 2007 survey by the Korean Ministry of Agriculture found that 59% of Koreans under the age of 30 did not want to eat dog. 62% of people in the same age group said they consider dogs to be pets rather than food. Many young Koreans view dog eaters as anachronists.

Dogs and Koreans

“Koreans eat dogs” is the most common stereotype about Koreans. Vostok found out how close it is to the truth.

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On one of the walls of the Goguryeo tomb complex, located in what is now North Korea, there is an image of a dog carcass lying in a barn, dating back to the 4th century AD. In 1816, Korean poet Jeong Hak Yu wrote a poem describing what villagers do during the year. In this poem we find a description of how married women go to visit their parents in August and take with them rice cake, rice wine and boiled dog meat. And in one of the books of the prominent Korean scientist of the 19th century, Hong Seok Mo, you can find a recipe for dog soup. In general, historical data suggests that dog meat is a traditional dish of Korean cuisine, you can’t argue with that.

North

What breed of dogs do Koreans eat?

One should not think that in Korea they eat all dogs indiscriminately, and every mongrel can become dinner or lunch for a hungry homo sapiens. Not at all, Koreans love their pets very much and would never eat them. There are special food dogs for this purpose. In addition, you should know that the sale of dogs is officially prohibited in Korea. This meat is considered a delicacy and medicine, so it will not be sold just like that, much less served in a restaurant instead of chicken or veal. Asians themselves cannot afford to eat it every day, although they consider it very tasty.

When asked what breeds of dogs are eaten in Korea, many answer: chow-chow. This is not entirely true, although this breed is also used for food, but much less often. Even in ancient times, dogs without hair, the Sholoitzcuintle, were very popular. Nowadays, dogs are raised on farms for food, just like pigs or cows. They are usually slaughtered at the age of 6 months to a year. It is believed that animal meat is most valuable during this period.

What kind of dogs do they eat in China? Basically the same as in Korea. The most meat breed is Nureong. They are slightly similar to chow chows. It should be noted that Koreans do not recommend eating the meat of a dog that has not been properly fed or that has not been prepared according to technology. They claim that such a product not only has no nutritional value, but can also be harmful to health. Therefore, it is very important to understand exactly what kind of dogs are eaten. Suddenly, gastronomic preferences in Russia will also change someday.

Dogs are fried and boiled alive and then eaten as everyday food

Who eats dog meat and why?
The "dog-eating festival" in China has caused outrage around the world. Television reports and publications about the "Dog Eating Festival" held annually in the summer in the southern Chinese city of Yulin in Guangxi province have sparked widespread public outrage and a wave of activism by animal rights activists around the world. Before showing video footage and photographs showing how dogs are burned alive and boiled, butchered, and prepared into soups and stews, the editors of TV channels and publications warn viewers that what they see can cause a serious blow to the psyche. Even photos of dogs of different breeds sitting in overcrowded cages awaiting a terrible fate cannot leave anyone indifferent - they look so monstrous to residents of Western countries, where the rights of dogs and many other animals are protected by law.

Dogs for sale. Yulin, China

Dog meat on shelves in China

The only bright spot in the coverage of this story was the rescue of a dog that ended up at the Yulin market, whose appearance so touched Humane Society International activist Peter Lee that he bought it from dog meat dealers and decided to take it with him to the United States. The dog, who received the nickname Ricky from his new owner, is in America with a new loving family.

In response to outraged petitions from activists and environmentalists regarding the Yulin “dog” slaughter, the Chinese authorities stated that officially “such a festival is not held,” so they will not take any measures. Dealers of dog meat, in their justification, point to the customs of other countries, for example, that in India they do not eat beef, since the cow is a sacred animal for Hindus, Muslims and Jews refuse pork because they consider this animal “dirty”, and some peoples are giving up lamb. And no one in the West is outraged by the counters of meat shops and photographs from meat storage facilities in which you can see the carcasses of livestock.

It should be noted that the tradition of eating dogs exists mainly only in a few provinces of China.

Eating dog meat is also common in Korea. If you type the phrase “dog meat” into some search engine on the Internet, most articles will say that “Koreans have been eating dog meat for three thousand years,” or even “five thousand,” and that it is “part of Korean culture.” The data is very vague, animal rights activists dispute these claims, insisting that this “tradition” is no more than a hundred years old, and those who write about it usually have a “financial interest” in keeping such a “tradition” alive. At the same time, both during the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1986 and in Beijing in 2008, the sale and consumption of dog meat was officially prohibited by the authorities of South Korea and the PRC. However, this did not lead to the elimination of the dog meat industry.

Dogs awaiting a terrible death. Yulin, China

Before they die, the dogs are brutally beaten with sticks and then burned alive. The Chinese generally believe that the more an animal died in agony, the tastier and healthier its meat will be...

The dog was skinned alive...

However, even opponents of the dog meat industry in Korea refer to the opinion of a number of historians who claim that in the territory of modern China, dog meat was consumed as food seven thousand years ago, and, apparently, in connection with this, the popularity of this custom is especially high in those Korean provinces , where trade with China was most active in the past. So the geographic and cultural proximity of the two countries obviously played a role in the emergence of demand for dog meat. This is manifested in the fact that both in China and Korea, the arguments in favor of the “healthiness” of dog meat are the same - supposedly it “helps you endure the heat more easily,” “increases the body’s endurance,” “warms the blood in winter,” “ has medicinal properties”, “increases male potency”.

A woman says goodbye to her dog, which was stolen from her to be sold at a festival, but she has no money to buy it back. It is impossible to look at this heartbreaking sight without tears.

Unhappy animals are beaten and prepared for a terrible, painful death

Animal rights activists respond by pointing to numerous cases of steroid use in feeding dogs for slaughter, which likely negates the “health benefits” of dog meat. But much more terrible and important is the fact that, “in order to increase the adrenaline in the blood of dogs before death and thereby improve the quality of meat,” dogs are slaughtered with sticks, burned alive with gas burners, or boiled alive.

The dog is beaten and prepared for a terrible, painful death

Dozens of unfortunate animals are transported in tiny cages. It should be noted that the people of China want to put an end to this barbarity. Volunteers buy, rescue, doomed dogs.

The unfortunate woman is taken to the dog-eating festival in Yulin

There are also counter-arguments against the theory of “antiquity” of the above-mentioned tradition. Thus, in the province of Gyeongsangbuk-do in South Korea, a two-thousand-year-old burial was discovered, in which, along with a human skeleton, there was a skeleton of a dog. Scientists naturally assumed that the dog was buried with its deceased owner, which in turn means that it was actually revered as a member of the family. A rock painting dating back to the fourth century AD shows the carcasses of a ram, a pig and a dog hanging side by side. But in the same picture you can see dogs walking freely - they don’t look at all like animals that people are preparing to eat.

The most vocal opponents of the view that dog meat has been eaten in Korea for several thousand years believe that Koreans began to eat it only in the twentieth century. In this regard, there are two main versions. First, it all started during Japanese colonial rule from 1910 to 1945. The Japanese requisitioned and took almost all the peasant livestock to the metropolis, which actually left the Koreans no choice but to eat dogs so as not to die of hunger. Some researchers claim that the Japanese themselves killed dogs to use their skins, but threw away the meat, which has been prohibited for consumption in Japan since 675 AD. According to the second version, Koreans began to eat dogs during the Korean War of 1950–53, which began exactly 65 years ago, also due to the fact that famine reigned on the Korean Peninsula.

Read also: Why does a dog shed?

So there is no talk of any “thousand-year-old tradition,” the beneficial properties of dog meat are embellished, and myths about them are deliberately supported by businessmen, according to activists of public organizations seeking a ban on killing dogs for their meat. But, despite their desperate struggle, it is unlikely that such a ban will be introduced in the foreseeable future - the social consequences, if the necessary law is adopted immediately, will be very noticeable in South Korea. This is also recognized by James Hyams, deputy editor-in-chief of the online publication The Korea Observer, who is currently working on a documentary film on this issue. Hyams himself is a supporter of a complete ban on the industry of raising dogs for slaughter and trading in them for meat:

There are about nine hundred thousand dogs in South Korea that are raised for slaughter.

– According to statistics from 2010, there were about nine hundred thousand dogs in South Korea, belonging to approximately one hundred thousand farms. So it turns out that small farms have 7–8 dogs, some even less. Where there are 10–20 dogs, they become an important source of income for families. So an immediate ban on the dog meat industry would deprive them of their livelihood - that's the last thing I would want. On average, one dog costs about $70. So, if a farmer sells dog meat to restaurants, then we must provide him with another source of income. Organizations such as Humane Society International buy dogs from farmers so that they can use the proceeds to start a new business.

South Korean animal activists protest against dog eating in Seoul. year 2009

According to James Hyams, just recently one farmer, from whom Humane Society International activists bought 23 dogs, was quite successful in growing and selling blueberries. According to Hyams and his colleagues, the South Korean authorities should now, first of all, immediately, introduce clear rules and licensing procedures that are still missing in the dog meat industry. This will eliminate the black market, which is often used for stolen or lost pets. All the same problems are talked about in the People's Republic of China - domestic dogs are also often stolen there, and almost no one controls what the animal ate before ending up in the dog meat dealer's cage. The complete lack of sanitary standards sharply increases the risk of poisoning.

James Hyams emphasizes that in Korea there are breeds of dogs specially raised for slaughter, and Koreans themselves perceive such dogs and domestic dogs as different animals. And they wouldn’t eat meat from “domestic breeds.” But this does not stop unscrupulous traders:

– The organization Co-existence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) conducted an investigation in 2012. Its activists visited several places where animals are kept and killed. They found hundreds of "domestic breed" dogs waiting to die. So for the owners there was no difference whether they were “meat” dogs or “pet” ones. One of them admitted that 70 percent of the dogs he sells for meat are golden retrievers and other “domestic” breeds. The price for one animal varies depending on the time of year, but on average it is about two hundred dollars. Another former trader said that the meat of huskies and other similar breeds is similar in quality to the meat of specially fed dogs, but is cheaper.

China and Korea - for them dogs are just everyday food

James Hyams, who, we recall, would personally like to see the practice of eating dogs cease to exist in South Korea and other countries, and demands an immediate end to the widespread practice of cruel slaughter of dogs, also opposes what he calls “cultural imperialism”, when “one a culture allows itself to dictate to another what is right and what is wrong.” He emphasizes that in his new film he would like to find out whether the tradition of eating dog meat in Korea is really so ancient and well-established. Or South Korean society is ready to leave this tradition in the past.

Animal rights experts say there is a huge cultural shift underway that also shows China's growing love for dogs. In Beijing alone in 2021, 1 million dogs were registered as pets. This is 10 times more than in 1992. Additionally, nearly nine million people recently voted online in support of a proposal to ban the dog meat industry. The survey was published on the official website of the Chinese government by a deputy of the National People's Congress.

Chinese authorities are promising to ban the festival, but the authorities will not act until they see how much damage it is doing to China's international reputation, which they have worked so hard to improve.

Dog Meat Festival in Yulin (China) - the highest degree of cruelty and inhumanity

Author of the text: Andrey Sharogradsky (international commentator for Radio Liberty. Author and presenter of the information and analytical magazine “Time of Freedom” and the podcast “Time of Freedom. Context”)

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These dogs are the national treasure of their country.
To preserve these dogs, a law has been issued, according to which it is almost impossible to take the animals out of Korea. The authorities also helped animals gain recognition all over the world. Currently, the dogs are being studied by employees of a local research center, but their exact origin is unknown to this day. It is assumed that in the Middle Ages the gene pool of this breed was replenished with Mongolian dogs. Living on the island made it possible for individuals of the breed to retain their primitive characteristics. At the end of the 1980s. These animals took part in the Olympic Games, which were held in Saul in the summer.

Appearance Features

The robust Korean Jindo has an octagonal head and a curved tail. Representatives of the breed are characterized by the presence of hard fur, which forms so-called sideburns on the cheekbones, tufts in the area of the shoulder blades and a dewlap on the tail. Animals with ivory coloration have a pink nose, while others have a black nose.

The breed standard defines only 5 color types:

milky with tan;
deer;
black with clear tan;
grey;
brindle color.

The ears of individuals of the breed are triangular in shape, sticking up. The paws are medium, ending in elastic pads with strong claws. These dogs are true Koreans, they even have slanted eyes.

These animals are strong, well-built medium-sized dogs. Representatives of the breed belong to the Spitz breed by phenotype. The body of the animal may be square in shape, or it may be elongated, slightly exceeding its height. The dog's tail is quite thick, curled towards the back or carried over the back in a crescent shape.

You can easily notice the differences between a male and a female. Mainly, the male has a larger size, a heavier head, while the female has a head similar to that of a fox. The appearance of these animals gives an idea of strong, intelligent and agile pets.

The powerful Chindo dog has a square build. The chest is relatively deep, but not wide. At its deepest point, the chest reaches or is located just below the level of the elbow area.

The chest is well developed, the ribs are sprung. These dogs have a strong, straight back, a loin with well-developed muscles, it is thinner and sharper than the chest. The abdomen is tucked and clearly defined.

Individuals of the breed have a double coat. The fur is medium. The first layer is hard, straight, slightly removed from the body, especially in the neck and shoulders. The underlayer of these animals is soft, quite thick, shorter than the first layer. The fur on the head, in the ear area, on the legs is short, the fur is longer on the hips and on the lower back, the fur is longest in the area of the tail and on the back of the hips.

Health - diseases

The main advantage of representatives of a pure breed does not leave these dogs today. Most of our pets can only envy their excellent health and good genetics. Most puppies do not have any genetic diseases. At the same time, hypothyroidism poses a danger to individuals of the breed. For this reason, caring owners will not rely solely on nature, but will take it for granted to regularly take their pet for examinations to the veterinarian.