North Korea Recommends Dog Meat Soup to Combat Heatwave

North Korean state media has recommended dog meat soup as a way to cope with hot weather, as extreme heat envelops the country. The recommendation has revived Pyongyang’s long-standing efforts to promote the controversial dish.

Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, published health advice in its Sunday (2 August) edition containing tips for dealing with the heatwave, as reported by South China Morning Post and Bangkok Post on Tuesday (4/8/2026).

The health advice also included first-aid guidance for illnesses caused by high temperatures.

Since 27 July, Pyongyang has experienced a series of tropical nights, with temperatures throughout the night exceeding 25 degrees Celsius. The North Korean authorities issued a ‘scorching hot weather warning’ until Sunday (2 August) in several regions, where daytime highs were forecast to reach 33-35 degrees Celsius.

Separately, the North Korean authorities also issued a ‘high temperature warning’ for the Pyongyang area, North Pyongan Province, parts of Jagang Province, and several areas in the central and southern parts of the country, with temperatures expected to range between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius.

In an interview with a senior doctor at Pyongyang General Hospital, Rodong Sinmun warned that ‘cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hyperthyroidism can worsen due to exhaustion from hot weather and heatstroke’.

The North Korean state newspaper recommended foods that cool the body, such as watermelon, mung beans and cucumber, as well as ‘highly nutritious foods’ including dog meat soup, fish porridge and red bean porridge.

Dog meat soup, known locally as ‘dangogi guk’, has long been promoted by the North Korean government as a traditional health tonic. However, the dish is expensive and difficult to obtain for many ordinary North Koreans.

‘Dangogi is popular in North Korea, but it is an expensive food. It is usually eaten on sweltering summer days to help overcome heat exhaustion,’ said former North Korean diplomat Ri Chol, speaking to This Week in Asia.

Pyongyang has promoted dangogi for decades, establishing upscale specialist restaurants along the Taedong River and registering regional recipes as cultural heritage.

The North Korean government also holds an annual cooking competition in the capital to elevate the culinary status of dog meat, portraying it as a patriotic way to cope with hot weather.

The practice stands in stark contrast to the situation in South Korea, which officially enacted landmark legislation in 2024 banning the breeding, slaughter, distribution and sale of dogs for human consumption.

Violations of the law carry a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to 30 million won (around Rp 378 million).