Dog Meat Still Hot Potato in Korea > 영어토론방

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"Eating dog is one thing that was never accepted in many parts of the world,” said a member of Korea Association for Animal Protection (KAAP). In fact, a renowned French actress and pet lover, Bridgit Bardot strongly criticized Koreans for eating dog meat, naming it a “barbarous demeanor."

It is true that many parts of the world do not feel good about Koreans' dog eating culture and during the 2002 World Cup, FIFA unofficially asked the Korean government to restrain from selling dog meat, only to be turned down. The notoriety of being labled “dog eating country” is one big burden for Koreans in many ways. Recently Ida Daussy, a French living in Korea, admitted in an interview that she had to explain to people living in France that dog meat is not sold in the butchers like beef or pork like they imagined. Also a growing number of pet lovers protest against the idea of eating dogs that are so close to humans. Dogs are often considered man's best friend, and their DNA structures are quite similar to humans.

Lim Sun-rye, a movie director, has appealed to people to stop eating dog meat. “Eating dog meat is such an extravaganza. We are over-nourished and yet are trying to supply unnecessary things into our bodies by taking other lives,” she said.

She said breeding pets helped her understand about life and taught her that eating dogs is a selfish thing to do.
However, the majority of people are still for eating dogs. They are talking about how, not why. “I eat poshintang when I feel burnt-out,” said Yang, who refused to give further personal information. “I believe there are other kinds of dogs bred for eating. I am not proud of it, but I am not ashamed either,” she said. According to a recent KBS Radio research, pet dog owners ate dog as often as non-pet owners.

One out of every three pet dog owners ate dog meat soup and were keen to eat it as often as others do. In an online poll by empas, 86 percent of the 622 respondents answered that dog eating culture is a matter of difference, not of good or bad. “Just like the French have foie gras and Mongolians eat horse meat, eating dog is our culture,” said a netizen. He also said eating dog is done in many other countries including China. “It's a matter of how to eat dogs rather than not to eat them,” said one netizen on his blog. He stressed that debating whether to eat dog meat or not is an obsolete way of thinking.

In fact, clearing the procedure of dog meat distribution is the key issue to proponents. Dogs butchered in unsanitary conditions or dogs with skin problems and diseases are not managed by the government well enough. “Dog meat does not fall in the category of livestock goods according to the law,” said Kim Mun-gap, an agriculture and forestry ministry official. “We audit beef, pork and poultry distribution, but we do not have a special regulation for dog meat.” He admitted that there could be loopholes for unsanitary and bad quality dog meat to slip in, and a strict regulation for dog meat product is needed. Three ministries, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, are in charge of the process, from breeding to meat distribution. However, no one is willing to take the big step to legalize the problem clearly. “I mean, who would want to? It is a very delicate problem and non-governmental activists who are against the issue are tough to deal with,” Kim added.

Question

1. Have you ever raised a dog? Please tell about your experiences.
2. Have you ever eaten a dog meat? If so, how did you feel?
3. Most of foreign people feel uncomfortable about eating a dog meat. So they often criticize Korean people.
Then have you ever thought that 'I ashamed our culture because we eat a dog meat.'? If so or not, why?
4. Do you think we should hide or ban our practice that eat a dog ?

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