Banned by Us, Drawing Crowds in NK: Encouraged as ‘Traditional Food’

https://m.mk.co.kr/news/politics/11117969

Posted by Fermion96

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  1. While we have put forth the ‘Prohibition Act on Dog Meat for Food Purposes’, it has been reported that in the North, the same thing is being promoted ‘the traditional food of the nation’.

    According to the Korean Central News Agency, Rodong Sinmun, and Yonhap News on the 15th, *dangogi* (the NK term for dog meat/*gaegogi*) is gaining popularity.

    Every summer, as boknal approaches, dangogi restaurants reportedly draw crowds upon its front doors.

    It has also been reported that the North Korean authority are hosting nationwide cooking competitions annually to promote dangogi. For example, the Central Committee of the Korean Culinary Association hosted a national dangogi chef contest at the Yômyông Street Culinary Fair, located in Pyongyang, last July.

    Contestants such as Pyongyang Dangogi Restaurant, Changgwang Service Center Dangogi Restaurant, Taedonggang District Food Court’s Munhǔng Dangogi Restaurant, Sinuiju-si Social Purveyance Center’s Namsô Dangogi Restaurant, Jǔngsan-gun Social Purveyance Center’s Jǔngsan Dangogi Restaurant joined in.

    Other than just the dangogi soup, known as *bosintang* or *gaejangguk*, steamed dangogi loins, steamed dangogi ribs, steamed dangogi chops, fried dangogi organs, and dangogi millet rice are relatively common in North Korea.

    It is claimed by North Korea that the dog meat culinary culture developed into many different recipes such as jjims, muchims, jorims, bokkeums, naengchaes, bossams, and muks under the ‘leadership’ of Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il.

    It is told that Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il had a special liking for dog meat. On the other hand, dog meat being directly mentioned in relation to Kim Jong-Un is not a common occurrence.

    Behind the scenes of North Korea’s promotion of dog meat lies the fact that dogs can serve as a source of otherwise insufficient animal protein. In North Korea, beef is quite rare, and pork is difficult to be raised in an ordinary household.