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North Korea
This Week in AsiaLifestyle & Culture

North Korea advises citizens to eat dog meat to beat the summer heat

Dog meat soup has long been promoted by the North Korean government as a traditional health tonic

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A waitress shows dishes made of dog meat at a restaurant in North Korea in 2018. Euphemistically known as “dangogi”, or sweet meat, dog has long been believed to be a stamina food in North and South Korea and is traditionally eaten during the hottest time of the year. Photo: AP
Live dogs for sale behind Rajin market in North Korea. Photo: SCMP
Park Chan-kyong

North Korea’s state media has recommended dog meat soup as protection against summer heat, reviving Pyongyang’s long-running effort to promote the controversial dish as record-high temperatures grip both sides of the Korean peninsula.

Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Workers’ Party newspaper, published health advice on Sunday offering tips for coping with the heatwave and first aid guidance for heat-related illnesses.

In an interview with a senior doctor at Pyongyang General Hospital, the newspaper warned that “cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism can worsen due to heat exhaustion and heatstroke”.

The paper recommended cooling foods such as watermelon, mung beans and cucumbers, along with “highly nutritious foods” including dog meat soup, fish porridge and red bean porridge.

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