--- title: South Korea: Activists Demand Dog Meat Ban Ahead of Olympics description: A South Korean animals rights group is calling for a ban on selling and eating dog meat ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics next month. canonical: https://time.com/5087207/south-korea-olympics-dog-meat/ author: Eli Meixler article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-04T04:25:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:44:07.363Z article:section: World og:title: South Korean Activists Want a Dog Meat Ban Ahead of Olympics og:description: Animal welfare groups say dog meat is a billion dollar industry og:url: https://time.com/5087207/south-korea-olympics-dog-meat/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03d7ceca1cfd94a2/6988f7018fd2ee6ee335a34a/gettyimages-898845264.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: SKOREA-AGRICULTURE-FOOD-DOG og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: South Korean Activists Want a Dog Meat Ban Ahead of Olympics twitter:description: Animal welfare groups say dog meat is a billion dollar industry twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03d7ceca1cfd94a2/6988f7018fd2ee6ee335a34a/gettyimages-898845264.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Animal Rights Activists in South Korea Want Dog Meat Banned Before the Winter Olympics ## Video: Everything You Need To Know About the 2018 Winter Olympics [Watch (HLS stream): Everything You Need To Know About the 2018 Winter Olympics](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FiicgpTf.m3u8) (1:32)  _Published 2017-09-15. Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympic Games, including when and where the Olympics will take place_ by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Jan 4, 2018 4:25 AM CUT  A caged dog at during a rescue event at a dog farm otuside Seoul, South Korea on Nov. 28, 2017. A caged dog at during a rescue event at a dog farm otuside Seoul, South Korea on Nov. 28, 2017.Jung Yeon-Je—AFP/Getty Images by [Eli Meixler](/author/eli/) ## Eli Meixler Jan 4, 2018 4:25 AM CUT A Korean animals rights group is calling for a ban on the sale and consumption of dog meat ahead of the [PyeongChang Winter Olympics](http://time.com/tag/Winter-Olympics-2018/ "undefined") next month in [South Korea](http://time.com/tag/south-korea "undefined"). The Korea Association for Animal Protection [demanded the prohibition](http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2018/01/281%5F241903.html "undefined") both out of compassion for the animals and to bolster Korea’s reputation on the world stage, as the practice of eating dogs — while not widespread — may alarm some international visitors, the _Korea Times_ reported. “We wish to bring an end to Korea’s dog meat-eating habit,” the association said at a press conference on Jan. 3\. “Dogs are man’s best friend and we shouldn’t eat them.” There would be some precedent for a ban: in 1984, South Korean leader Chun Doo-hwan temporarily prohibited the sale of canine meat ahead of the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, according to the _Times_. The country’s [largest dog market](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/28/south-korea-closes-biggest-dog-meat-market-in-run-up-to-olympics "undefined"), which held some 80,000 animals, was closed in February in anticipation of the PyeongChang Games, the _Guardian_ reports. In July, [149 dogs were freed](http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/south-korea-dog-meat-festival-farm-149-killed-soup-bok-nal-butchered-slaughter-animal-protection-a7852866.html "undefined") by Human Society International ahead of the annual Bok Nal festival, when consuming dog meat is traditional. Canine husbandry is a booming and unregulated business in South Korea, where it does not fall under regular animal livestock laws, though activists argue that the conditions at farms and markets [violate animal cruelty statutes](http://koreananimals.org/south-koreas-animal-protection-laws/ "undefined"). While most South Koreans do not regularly consume dogs, they are a frequent feature of restaurant menus and a key ingredient in some traditional recipes and medicinal applications, according to International Aid for Korean Animals (IAKA). Because the industry exists in a state of legal limbo, it is also difficult for authorities to combat its spread or even calculate its size. IAKA estimates that [dog trade generates $2 billion](http://koreananimals.org/dogs/ "undefined") annually, while Korea’s Statistics Information Service 2010 agriculture census [reported over 100,000 farms](http://www.koreaobserver.com/former-pets-slaughtered-for-dog-meat-across-korea-25566/ "undefined") holding 892,820 dogs, according to _the Korean Observer_. Other estimates put the [annual toll in the millions](http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/as-demand-dwindles-korea-s-dog-meat-farmers-seek-fresh-start-8099778 "undefined") of dogs. But public opinion may be turning, as more young South Koreans are more inclined to see canines as companions than dinner. A 2015 Gallup Korea poll found that [only 20% of South Korean men in their 20s](http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/1939053/changing-tastes-and-attitudes-lead-fall-demand-korean-dog-meat "undefined") consumed dog meat over the previous year, compared to 50% of men in their 50s and 60s. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5087207/south-korea-olympics-dog-meat/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5087207/south-korea-olympics-dog-meat/"},"headline":"Animal Rights Activists in South Korea Want Dog Meat Banned Before the Winter Olympics","datePublished":"2018-01-04T04:25:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:44:07.363Z","description":"Animal welfare groups say dog meat is a billion dollar industry","url":"https://time.com/5087207/south-korea-olympics-dog-meat/","keywords":["South Korea","Winter Olympics","onetime","2018 Pyeongchang Olympics","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03d7ceca1cfd94a2/6988f7018fd2ee6ee335a34a/gettyimages-898845264.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eli Meixler","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/eli/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt03d7ceca1cfd94a2/6988f7018fd2ee6ee335a34a/gettyimages-898845264.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"SKOREA-AGRICULTURE-FOOD-DOG","caption":"SKOREA-AGRICULTURE-FOOD-DOG","creditText":"Jung Yeon-Je—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/south-korea/","name":"South Korea"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5087207/south-korea-olympics-dog-meat/","name":"Animal Rights Activists in South Korea Want Dog Meat Banned Before the Winter Olympics"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Everything You Need To Know About the 2018 Winter Olympics","description":"Here's everything you need to know about the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympic Games, including when and where the Olympics will take place","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/FiicgpTf/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2017-09-15T16:56:33.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/FiicgpTf.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5087207/south-korea-olympics-dog-meat/","duration":"PT1M32S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5087207/south-korea-olympics-dog-meat/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```