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North Koreans Advised to Eat Dog Meat Soup During Heat Wave
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. North Koreans are being advised to eat dog meat soup to fortify their health as a heat wave grips Northeast Asia.
Authorities across the region have issued heat warnings in recent weeks and urged residents to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity as the prolonged high temperatures threaten to strain public health systems, local power grids and agriculture.
The Rodong Sinmun , the official newspaper of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, on Sunday published a Korean-language interview with a senior doctor at Pyongyang General Hospital offering a different sort of advice.
"The basic principle" of managing health during hot weather is to lower body heat, Min said, adding that produce like watermelon, grapes, cucumbers, oriental melons are particularly suited for this.
For protein, Min recommended fish and red-bean porridge as well as a traditional dish known as dongogi (sweet meat), or dog meat soup.
"If the body lacks protein, immunity weakens and appetite declines," he said.
Known as bosintang in the South, the soup is traditionally associated with the hottest days of the year, when some people believed it restored vitality drained by the summer heat.
Consumption has declined drastically in South Korea over the past few decades, especially among younger generations, amid growing concerns over animal welfare. In 2024, the country passed legislation banning the breeding, slaughter, distribution and sale of dogs for human consumption, with a three-year grace period set to end in February 2027.
The R odong Sinmun interview comes as a broader Northeast Asian heat wave pushes temperatures to dangerous levels across North Korea, South Korea, Japan and parts of China.
South Korea recorded its highest temperature since modern weather observations began when temperatures reached 108.5 degrees Fahrenheit on August 2, prompting President Lee Jae Myung to describe the heat wave as a "national disaster."
Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency reported more than 18,000 people were taken to hospitals with heatstroke symptoms during the week of July 20-26, while 45 people died.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: John Feng and Dave Siminoff .
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