Major South Korean Dog Meat Market Shuts Down Next Month

Busan-based Gupo dog meat market—one of South Korea’s largest dog-meat markets—will close next month. The move comes after local authorities reached an agreement with the market’s 19 dog-meat vendors to end the practice and regenerate the space into a public park. Humane Society International (HSI) South Korea has worked with dog vendors in the region for four years to help them transition out of the dog-meat trade. “We very much welcome the agreement reached to close Gupo market, home to one of the largest dog meat markets in South Korea,” HSI South Korea dog campaigner Nara Kim said. “The closure plan is the result of months of hard work between the local authorities and the market vendors, and both sides are to be commended for working towards this goal that will not only bring an end to Gupo’s dog meat era, but will also see the area regenerated with new amenities and businesses for the benefit of the local, modern economy.” Gupo’s closure follows the demolition of Taepyeong—South Korea’s largest dog slaughterhouse complex—last year. A 2018 Gallup Korea poll revealed that dog meat is decreasing in popularity, particularly among young South Koreans, 70 percent of whom said they would not consume dog meat in the future. “This is the latest crack down on an increasingly unpopular dog meat trade, and we hope that it inspires further closures in [the] future where dogs also suffer for the meat trade, such as Chilsung market in Daegu,” Kim said.