A LA Times article on September 4, 2009 was about a Korean vegetarian's efforts to garner signatures for a petition to stop the eating of dog meat in Korea. In the past westerner's have criticized the eating of dogs as inhumane, but Koreans have tended to disregard that as being merely hypocritical opinion. One government official who eats dog meat stated "Westerners eat one type of animal and tell the world they can't eat another. I say, if you eat animals, you eat animals."
He has a point doesn't he.
This government official was referring to human consumption of domesticated animals such as dogs, cats, horses, etc. Of course, his point applies equally well to cows, sheep, pigs and chickens.
The following are some quotes from the article:
Canine cuisine enthusiasts say they distinguish between dogs they eat and those kept as pets. They say they reserve a special breed of dog for consumption, never mixing the two.
Activists say the lines often blur. Many domesticated breeds, including collies and spaniels, are also consumed after being scooped up as runaways. Lee rescues stray dogs as a way to keep them out of the hands of dog meat vendors.
Last month, on the year's final boshintang day [note: dog meat soup - according to the article there are three days a year when it is traditionally eaten], the regulars packed into Mr. Moon's Dog Meat Stew Restaurant, where the year-round menu includes not only boshintang, but also dog soup and dog served with vegetables and hot pepper sauce, along with non-dog dishes.
Hong Sung-woo said dog stew is healthy. "It gives me stamina," said the former government worker, now 84. "How do you think I've lived this long?"
The cuisine also remains popular among some government officials, including Cham Lee, the German-born director of the Korean Tourism Organization, who also raises Korean Jindo dogs as pets. He elicited criticism when he held a private wine and dog-tasting seminar. His verdict: Dog goes best with a light Shiraz, or a nice Riesling.