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Lesser Known Dog Meat Market in Seoul

Lesser Known Dog Meat Market in Seoul

Lesser Known Dog Meat Market in Seoul

Not too long ago, I wrote about a lesser known dog meat market called Gyeongdong Market and the local activist group, Dasom, that actively protests here. Members of the Dasom group graciously gave me a tour of the dog meat vendors and slaughterhouses during my visit to Korea.

Gyeongdong Market is famously known for selling herbal medicine and ginseng. When you walk around, the smell of ginseng and other herbs permeate the air. As we walked towards the meat section, I noticed the crowd was quite older at this market. It seems fitting given that this market is known for its herbs. While in the meat section, if you look closely, you will often see a thigh with its hind leg attached chopped from the rest of the body and placed on top of a weight scale. Look around and you will see the rest of the chopped body parts of a dog. Did I mention that these meats are not covered? They're raw and open inviting an insect infestation.  

Moran, Gupo, and Chilsung dog meat markets come to mind for many, but not Gyeongdong.  This is in Seoul, the capital of South Korea and most Korean nationals in Los Angeles have informed me that dog meat is not sold in Seoul, but on the outskirts.  Now I know that they are misinformed.  While most of the dog meat vendors are on the outer less crowded streets of the market, there is one in the main section. The cage is mostly covered in steel but if you look closely within the 3 inches of open bars, you will see eyes peering back at you. The dogs are well hidden but not once they've become meat. The body is chopped in half for all to see that this is a dog.  

Dasom members took me to the outer street where most of the dog slaughterhouses operated. Here, the dogs are in very open cages…awaiting their awful fate. While the inside market bustles with people, this street is virtually empty. There are no sounds of slaughter. They informed me that the slaughter happens around 5 am when no one is around…or can hear. About 10 dogs are slaughtered per day in one slaughterhouse alone.

We need to keep pressuring the government to end this barbaric dog meat trade. All our voices, local and international, need to be heard for the sake of the tortured dogs.

If you want to participate in the protests while in Seoul, please follow @Ngo_Dasom on Instagram for the protest dates.

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