Why North Korea Is Telling People to Eat Dog Meat During a Record-Breaking Heatwave
North Korean state media has revived its long-standing promotion of dog meat soup as a traditional summer health food, recommending the dish alongside other seasonal foods as temperatures across the Korean Peninsula soar to record levels.
The guidance was published by Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling Workers’ Party, as authorities warned residents about the dangers of prolonged extreme heat. The advisory included recommendations from a senior doctor at Pyongyang General Hospital, who outlined the health risks associated with high temperatures, including heatstroke and the worsening of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hyperthyroidism.
State Media Recommends Traditional Summer Foods
Along with commonly consumed cooling foods such as watermelon, cucumbers and mung beans, the newspaper encouraged people to eat nutrient-rich dishes, including dog meat soup, fish porridge and red bean porridge.
Dog meat soup, known in North Korea as dangogi guk or ‘sweet meat soup,’ has been promoted by the government for decades as a traditional stamina-boosting meal believed to help the body endure intense summer heat. Despite its cultural significance, the dish is considered expensive and remains inaccessible to many North Koreans.
The recommendation comes as a high-temperature advisory remains in effect for Pyongyang, North Pyongan Province, parts of Jagang Province, and several central and southern regions, where temperatures are forecast to reach between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius.
Pyongyang has previously highlighted the dish during the summer season, including through a dog meat cooking competition held in 2020.
Heatwave Sweeps Across Korean Peninsula
The renewed health campaign comes as both North and South Korea experience one of the most severe heatwaves in recent years.
In South Korea, temperatures have climbed above 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the country’s southeast, while forecasters say the extreme heat is spreading toward the Seoul metropolitan area. Weather officials have also warned that Typhoon Dolphin, currently moving toward Japan, is unlikely to provide meaningful relief and could instead intensify hot conditions as it interacts with two heat domes over the region.
Tradition Faces Changing Attitudes
The consumption of dog meat is traditionally associated with sambok, the three hottest days of the lunar calendar, based on the long-held belief that eating hot, protein-rich foods helps the body cope with extreme summer temperatures.
While the custom has existed on both sides of the Korean Peninsula, public attitudes have shifted significantly in South Korea in recent years. The country has moved to phase out the dog meat trade through a nationwide ban following growing public opposition and years of campaigning by animal welfare groups.
North Korea, however, continues to present dog meat soup as part of its traditional approach to managing the summer heat, even as changing cultural attitudes elsewhere on the peninsula have reduced the practice’s popularity.
