SEOUL, Jul 17 (TNS): South Korean Animal activists filed a petition in the office of President Moon Jae-in and prepared to hold a rally featuring one of Moon’s pet dogs on Tuesday to call for a ban on dog meat consumption on the first of the summer’s three hottest “dog days.”
Tuesday is “chobok,” one of 24 seasonal markers on the lunar calendar, and forms “sambok” or the three hottest days together with two other dog days.
It has been a tradition in Korea to eat stamina foods, such as ginseng chicken soup, on those days to fight the heat.
Dog meat consumption used to be popular on those days too, even though the practice has faded markedly in recent decades amid strong criticism of killing man’s best friend for meat. Still, activists claim thousands of dogs are slaughtered every day.
On Tuesday morning, members of the animal rights group KARA held a rally in front of the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae, calling for a complete ban on dog meat consumption. Other animal groups also planned to hold a similar rally or other events to call for the ban.
