2. Dogs in society Mainly kept as working or companion animals Earned additional roles such as assisting police and military, handicapped Media portrayal increase lovability factor: Lassie, Beethoven, Benji, 101 Dalmations Humanization of pets Pet industry growth Pet bonding

3. Dogs in society In some societies, the consumption of dog meat is viewed as part of their traditional or contemporary culture While in others, the consumption of dog meat is generally viewed as offensive, such as most Western cultures Dogs are consumed in some parts of Latin America, China, Taiwan, Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines

4. Objectives Explore situation dog meat in Korean society in its historical, legal, and social context. Examine and analyze different angles Pro dog meat Anti dog meat Refuse-respect Identify factors that contribute to attitudes Increase knowledge about the issue to know how to approach the issue

5. Limitations Researcher bias at the beginning Changed attitude from anti-dog meat to refuse respect Other viable alternative hypothesis Not meant to reject other possible explanation for the phenomenon of interest

6. Method Relevant information on the history and current status of dog use (as pets and as food) was sourced from academic literature, newspaper reports, and websites exploratory and the overall objective is to identify common themes in the attitude towards dog meat in Korea

7. Pet ownership in Korea

8. Dog meat in Korea In Korea, dog meat, which literally means Gaegogi (개고기), is the fourth most-consumed meat after pork, beef, and chicken Part of traditional customs Farmers eat it during Boknal Offered to guests during funeral ceremony, Hoigap (anniversary of one’s 60th birthday), and one’s birthday

9. Dog meat in Korea BC 57 to ACD 676 918-1392 1392-1910 Confucianism became the state ideology during Choson Dynasty, paving the way for the return of dog meat as food not common during the Koryo Dynasty when Buddhism became the state religion dog meat consumption in Korea can be traced back to the era of the three kingdoms Confucians even nicknamed it “Confucian’s meat” Justifying this label by pointing to the so-called Chinese Book of Rites where dogs are divided into three classes: hunting dogs, watchdogs, and food

10. Dog meat in Korea Korean proverb referring to dogs (worthless, insignificant, naughty, and ungrateful) 똥 묻은 개가 겨 묻은 개 나무란다 The dog that buried the shit rebukes the dog that buried the chaff A hypocrite tells another person not to do something that`s less serious than what they`ve been doing 서당개 삼년에 풍월 읊는다. A dog raised at Sodang for three years, can chant Chinese lessons Even a fool can learn something after 3 years.

11. Dog meat in Korea Geographical conditions not suitable for farming livestock In an agrarian society cow was important as resource of labor It was an domestic animal that could not be eaten so instead the dog was taken as meat.

12. Dog meat in Korea Chosun dynasty encyclopedia “The character of dog meat is warm with a salty and sour taste. It comforts the digestive system, such as small and large intestines, strengthens our stomach, supplements marrow to warm our knees and waist, and raises vigour to make men virile when bodies are fatigued and damaged, it can help keep bodies healthy, and circulate the blood smoothly. In quality, yellow furred dog is best, followed by black furred dog, and finally white furred dog. Yellow furred dog is good for men and black furred dog for women.”

13. Dog meat in Korea Nureongi (누렁이) Dogs bred by Korean farmers for suitabilty as livestock and share certain characteristics, including short tan hair, relatively large bodies, and black muzzles. Not normally kept as pets ready to be sold at approximately 1 year of age

14. Dog meat in Korea Scene from a market in South Korea. Puppies to the fore are in a pink cage, denoting they are for sale as pets. The same vendor is also selling the meat-dogs (nureongi) pictured at the back

15. Pet ownership in Korea

16. Pet ownership in Korea Pet culture took off 1990’s when economy rapidly improved, standards of living rose, and people had more disposable income Pets springing up all over the country Smaller breeds are more common Encouraged by government to counter the negative image Korea Kennel Club (KKC) estimated that there were around 2.5 million pets dogs in South Korea in 2007

17. Pet ownership in Korea Low birthrate, not interested in kids, have a pet instead Market for dog care in South Korea increased at a compound annual growth rate of 6.8% between 2003 and 2008 Popular dog care products: clothes (65%), toys (58%) and collars (58%) Mega Pet, Ilsan: 11-storey building has a diverse variety of offerings including pets, pet food, accessories, and services such as salons, restaurants, hotel, and gym

18. Pet ownership in Korea

19. Protests against dog meat

20. Protest against dog meat First attack against dog eating led by the Austrian-born wife of South Korea’s first president Syngman Rhee Renaming of dog stew from gaejangguk to bosintang in 1945 Korean War 1950’s food shortage – disapproval declined Brigitte Bardot campaign in 1980’s - accused Koreans “barbarians”

21. Protest against dog meat Seoul City Regulation No. 94: Banned sale and consumption prompted by 1988 Seoul Olympics Animal Protection Law passed in 1991 prohibited the mistreatment of non-livestock animals. Eradicated the beating of dogs and electrocution was adapted instead. Livestock Processing Act – dogs not recognized as livestock. Loophole: can still raise and slaughter Bottomline, it is not illegal to raise and slaughter dogs as long as it does not violate any anti-cruelty provisions of the Animal Protection Act (APA)

22. Protest against dog meat 2002 World Cup FIFA president urged for immediate and decisive actions to be taken National Dog Meat Restaurant Association unveiled a plan to give free samples of bosintang to football fans Proposed that dogs be put on the list of livestock to ensure strict standards of slaughter and hygiene as well as separation of dogs into edible livestock and those that are pets A declaration was also proposed to demand that foreign countries not meddle in Korea’s dog eating tradition

23. Protest against dog meat Jay Leno joke Korean speed skater Kim Dong-sung being disqualified from the 2002 Winter Olympics because the Korean might have kicked his dog then eaten it Koreans, regardless of their attitude towards dog eating all came together to elicit an apology from Jay Leno

25. Protests against dog meat

26. Protests against dog meat

27. Protests against dog meat

28. Pet ownership in Korea

29. South Korean’s attitudes 83% had eaten dog meat at some stage in their lives Haters: inhumanity Lovers: traditional food cuisine Consumption patterns were no different between pet owners and non-pet owners Only 9% of respondents thought it should be banned Protesters: “I love Korea, I oppose dog meat”

30. South Korean’s attitudes Korean food in western countries is still considerably obscure Doosan is developing an odourless variety of Kimchi for the U.S. market – prompted many Koreans to adopt an apologetic tone “Industrialized countries do not allow its people to eat dogs” World Cup Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

31. South Korean’s attitudes Snobbery: Bosintang is by no means considered as haute cuisine dog soup is still associated with earlier traditions, the countryside, and the old Korea Young Koreans nowadays favour the Dunkin’ Donuts, hamburger, pizza joints and cafes, all of which are considerably hipper by Seoul standards Zagat survey: all the top winners were non-Korean restaurants

32. South Korean’s attitudes simply singling out dog meat as an illegal activity is not entirely justified “However, I’m afraid that the issue of what to eat cannot be resolved by ‘limiting the stomachs of others by what I’m able to stomach’. Even if this might be the eating habits of most people, forcing it onto the people remaining is nothing less than the ‘tyranny of the majority’.”

33. South Korean’s attitudes No rational argument for saying that eating dogs is barbaric while eating pork or beef is fine eating a pork chop is reasonable but notion of eating dog is appalling generally, the notion of pigs as pets seems bizarre or repellent. Teacup pigs are not gaining popularity

34. Pet ownership in Korea

35. Analysis Dichotomization: Animals can be grouped into two distinct, often diametrically opposed, categories: cute/ugly, dirty/clean, food/non-food. dogs are dichotomized as being either edible or inedible Westerners have a great abundance of alternate sources of animal foods and their geographical condition enables them to raise a large number of livestock Brigitte Bardot’s statement “cows are grown to be eaten, dogs are not”

36. Analysis Overgeneralization: individuality is unacknowledged generalized assumptions - pigs are dirty, crude, and useless though they provide humans with meat; chickens are supposedly weak, frightened, and stupid; and animals in laboratories are perceived as existing solely as objects for research anti-dog meat campaign often take a “dogs are companions/friends” perspective

37. Analysis Justification: defends meat consumption In South Korea, dog consumption is acceptable since it is part of its culture and history Why single out dogs while the rest of the world continues to eat beef and lamb? it takes about 16 parts of grain to produce one part of meat. This means that the amount of food used to feed cattle is roughly enough to feed the whole world manure of cattle and sheep produces more greenhouse gases Forests are being destroyed to be turned into grazing land. And valuable water resources are being used up for the livestock industry

38. Analysis De-individualization: strip animals of their individual identities Americans recoil at the thought of eating dog meat; most of them have either lived with or known at least one dog on a personal level Dogs are individuals, familiars, whereas cows, pigs, fishes and chickens are not pigs are just as intelligent as dogs and yet countless numbers of pigs are slaughtered to be eaten as pork. Koreans consider pet dogs different from food dogs in the same way that Americans distinguish angel fish from canned tuna

39. Analysis Cultural Relativism: concept of “Han” – deeply felt sense of injustice calls from the West to ban the practice is viewed by South Koreans as an attack on their culture Majority did not believe that the consumption should be banned regardless of whether they eat it or not campaign against dog consumption has been going on for decades, there has not been any effect on the practice Pet owners and non-owners had similar attitudes to dog eating.

40. Analysis Cultural Imperialism: Cows are sacred in India and it’s illegal to slaughter and eat them there, but the Indian government doesn’t put pressure on the American government to ban the eating of beef showing their displeasure with this practice by going as far as to boycott Korean products By giving in to the pressure, Korea may somehow be reducing its sovereignty by showing submissiveness to another country’s whims

41. Analysis no one ideal or culture should be superior over the other Those who eat dog meat are not any less moral than those who don’t The West isn’t exactly more sophisticated, not necessarily more moral, not entirely more advanced than countries in which dog meat is eaten Beef exporting countries are eager to block the legality of dog meat as well

42. Analysis Dogs are a sign of wealth - the ban on dog meat is just a way of placating the rich and the powerful ban on eating dogs comes a lot from the ‘educated class’ don’t want to be seen as hillbillies wealthier people want to westernize themselves, so their views on the dog situation will have the tendency to be the same in western countries

43. Analysis racism and cultural superiority Barbaric and uncivilized just because they think of themselves as civilized and western There would be no difference between a Korean dog lover and a Korean dog eater because an Asian is just another Asian Fear that differentiation between the rich and poor will fade as well as the superiority and privilege that comes with it As long as dog meat eating continues to be labelled as barbaric, the westerners can enjoy their superiority

44. Analysis Anti-dog meat: anti-dog meat campaign mainly comes from external sources, mostly from Westerners This attitude mainly attributed to dichotomization and overgeneralization Internally, within Korea campaigners prone to discrimination and prejudice I love Korea, I oppose dog meat eating

45. Analysis Pro-dog meat: cultural confrontation between Korea and the West accepting dog meat as disgusting and barbaric is to lose the battle against the onslaught of Westernization Collectivism by standing up against attacks (i.e. World Cup, Jay Leno) It may not be good soup but it is our soup

46. Analysis Refuse-respect: majority of people who would never eat dog meat and some would even be disgusted by it (many of whom express real love for their pet dogs) would nevertheless defend the practice Proposed ban and regulations do nothing to reduce the dog meat consumption (as campaigns are largely driven by Westerners) I refuse to eat it but I respect the right of others to do so.

47. Summary EXTERNAL Anti Dog Meat Dichotomization Cultural Imperialism Overgeneralization Refuse Respect INTERNAL De-individualization Cultural Relativism Pro Dog Meat Justification