Dog Meat

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr

Dog Meat Restaurant to Receive Inspection

The Korea Times Reports

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter for the Korea Times

"The city government Tuesday began sanitation inspections of restaurants that serve dog meat.
The move can be seen as official recognition of dog meat as food since dogs are not categorized as livestock that need inspection.

In the four-day inspection, city officials and members from consumers' associations will check the storage of ingredients and hygiene conditions of kitchen facilities at 30 randomly chosen restaurants.
It is the first inspection of dog meat restaurants since 1988 when the country was preparing for the Seoul Olympics Games.
`We are going to slap strong administrative sanctions on restaurants found to have violated sanitation rules,'' a city official said. He said they would face fines or have their license to operate suspended depending on the extent of the rule violation.But he denied that the move has anything to do with the legalization of dog as livestock, citing they will also inspect other restaurants that serve other ``stamina'' dishes such as samgyetang, or chicken broth.
Under the current law, it is illegal to butcher dogs and trade their meat as they are not categorized as livestock, but the government has been unable to regulate the sale of dog meat as it is a part of long-rooted Korean dining culture.

The ambiguous situation, however, has raised concerns over the sanitation of dog meat as dogs are covered by regulations covering donkeys, rabbits, horses and deer, which do not let the authorities apply livestock rulings.
Previously, the city government planned to take samples of dog meat from about 530 restaurants to examine if they
contained harmful substances such as heavy metals, antibiotics and bacteria. But it delayed the plan as it faced strong criticism
Dog lovers and animal rights organizations both at home and abroad denounced the plan as a move to legalize the sale of dog meat. The city government had previously proposed categorizing dogs as livestock. "
e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr"