A South Korean dog meat festival has been cancelled following growls of protest from animal rights activists. -- PHOTO: ENVIRONMENTAL AND ANIMAL SOCIETY
SEOUL - A SOUTH Korean dog meat festival has been cancelled following growls of protest from animal rights activists, one of the would-be organisers said on Tuesday.
The Korea Dog Farmers' Association had scheduled for Friday a festival aimed at promoting traditional dog meat consumption, said Ann Yong Geun, an adviser to the association.
'We couldn't possibly go on with the plan due to endless phone calls of complaint... now there are few willing to rent us a place for the event,' Mr Ann, a professor of nutrition at Chung Cheong University, said.
The association had said the festival, to be held in a traditional open-air market in the city of Seongnam just south of Seoul, would showcase various canine delicacies including barbecued dog, sausages and steamed paws.
Mr Ann said the festival would have displayed video clips and pictures of farms raising dogs under sanitary conditions, contrary to public perceptions. He said there are about 600 farms raising dogs for meat in South Korea, where their meat has long been eaten and dog soup, or Boshintang, is a summer delicacy. But growing numbers of Koreans oppose the practice and consider it an international embarrassment. -- AFP
