Seen is a "health care center," or a nutritional supplement food eatery that sells dog meat in Moran Market, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Saturday. Korea Times photo by Lee Hae-rin

Despite the approach of "chobok," the first of the three hottest days of summer known as "boknal," the once bustling streets of dog meat restaurants in Moran Market, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, remained deserted on Saturday.

To endure the intense summer heat, Koreans have traditionally turned to special foods for energy, and among these, "bosintang," a hot stew featuring boiled dog meat, has been a popular and traditional dish.

Moran Market was once one of Korea's three largest dog meat markets, offering cooked dog meat since the 1960s. However, the alley that used to have over 50 dog meat restaurants is now mostly empty, with just about 20 eateries still open. On Saturday at 6 p.m., a few customers were seen dining on bosintang at establishments now known as either "health care centers" or "black goat restaurants."

Dogs are caged at a dog meat restaurant in Moran Market, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in this Aug. 14, 2020 photo. Korea Times file

The decline of the dog meat business is largely due to a new dog meat ban that went into effect in February, which includes a three-year grace period. In January, the National Assembly passed a special bill with rare political unity that prohibits the breeding, butchering, distributing, and selling of dogs for meat in response to growing animal rights awareness in the country.

"This chobok will be our last time selling dog meat stew. Boknal season used to be the busiest time of the year for us, but that's no longer the case," said a restaurant owner who has been in business at the market for over 30 years, speaking on condition of anonymity.

She said sales this year plummeted to around 20 percent of what they were last year.

"We still have some regulars who come here for bosintang occasionally. Of course, it's healthy and tasty. But ever since the government banned the business, we have fewer customers and there is no other way but to stop selling it anyway. We will sell more black goat and duck meat instead," another restaurant owner said on condition of anonymity.

According to a 2022 government survey, there were 1,156 dog farms in South Korea raising over 520,000 dogs for meat consumption, and 1,666 restaurants selling more than 388,000 dogs for food each year.

As the special law mandates that dog meat farmers either sell their remaining stock or find them new homes during the three-year grace period ending in February 2027, the government is considering a compensation plan for dog meat farmers and restaurant owners, which is expected to be announced in September. To be eligible for compensation, business owners must submit their closure or transition plans by Aug. 5.

Despite the government's compensation plan, industry stakeholders continue to protest.

The Korean Association of Edible Dog, a nationwide organization with nearly 1,000 members, filed a petition with the Constitutional Court in March to invalidate the dog meat ban, arguing that it infringes on people's rights to choose their diet and the members' professional freedoms.

"Six months have passed since the legislation (of the dog meat ban) ... However, the government has failed to protect our rights and present standards or even basic plans to support the closure and transition of related businesses," the group said in a statement during a press conference in Seoul, July 9.

Members of the Korean Edible Dog Association hold a press conference in front of the Board of Audit and Inspection, Seoul, July 9, to call on the government to come up with compensation plans for their businesses that face closure following a ban on dog meat. Yonhap

"So far, the fundamental rights and property rights of farmers and industry stakeholders have been so severely violated that recovery seems impossible, and the time when we will be forced out onto the streets is fast approaching," the group said.

They asked the Board of Audit and Inspection to investigate the officials at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs — responsible for the compensation plans — arguing that the ministry is abusing its authority and undermining their right to survival.

Meanwhile, a coalition of eight animal advocacy groups here held a joint event in Cheonggye Stream, Saturday, to remember dogs that died for human consumption and urge the government to crack down on the contentious trade.

"During the three-year grace period, industry stakeholders that need to quickly shut down their businesses are multiplying the number of dogs (via reproduction) to get more subsidies and continue to engage in illegal activities, including animal slaughtering," Lee Sang-kyung, a campaigner at Humane Society International Korea said, urging the government to effectively end the dog meat trade.