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In South Korea, some savour last season of legal dog meat

For decades, the three days of summer considered the hottest of the year were among the busiest for South Korea’s dog meat restaurants, as diners…

By Samantha Johnson / August 15, 2026

For decades, the three days of summer considered the hottest of the year were among the busiest for South Korea’s dog meat restaurants, as diners sought traditional stamina-boosting foods to endure the heat.

The third “boknal”, or hot day, of 2026 on Friday carried an added sense of finality. It was the last before a nationwide ban on the breeding, slaughter and sale of dogs ‌for meat takes full effect in February 2027.

At the Moran Market in Seongnam, once the country’s best-known hubs for dog meat, lunchtime crowds filled alleyways lined with restaurants.

Yet many businesses have shifted to black goat stew and other alternatives, while the few customers still ordering “bosintang”, or dog meat stew, were overwhelmingly elderly.

Dog meat is displayed for sale during Malbok, the last of Korea’s traditional hottest days of summer, at a restaurant selling dog meat and black goat meat stews in Seongnam, South Korea, on Friday. Photo: Reuters
Dog meat is displayed for sale during Malbok, the last of Korea’s traditional hottest days of summer, at a restaurant selling dog meat and black goat meat stews in Seongnam, South Korea, on Friday. Photo: Reuters

“It’s really desolate now,” said Kim Yong-book, head of the Moran Market Merchants’ Association, who has worked in the area, which is near Seoul, for more than 40 years.

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