North Korea Recommends Dog Meat Soup to Combat Heatwave

North Korean state media has recommended dog meat soup as a way to combat the heat, as extreme hot weather blankets the country. The recommendation revives Pyongyang’s longstanding efforts to promote the controversial dish. Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, published health advice in its Sunday edition containing tips for dealing with the heatwave. The health advice also included first aid guidance for heat-related illnesses. Since 27 July, Pyongyang has experienced a series of tropical nights with temperatures throughout the night exceeding 25 degrees Celsius. North Korean authorities imposed a ‘searing heat warning’ until Sunday across several regions, where daytime highs were expected to reach 33-35 degrees Celsius. Separately, authorities also issued a ‘high temperature warning’ for the Pyongyang area, North Pyongan Province, parts of Jagang Province, and some central and southern areas of the country, with temperatures forecast to range between 35-40 degrees Celsius. In an interview with a senior doctor at Pyongyang General Hospital, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper warned that ‘cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism can worsen due to heat exhaustion and heatstroke’. The state newspaper recommended cooling foods such as watermelon, mung beans, and cucumbers, 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 for many ordinary North Koreans to obtain. ‘Dangogi is popular in North Korea, but it is an expensive food. It is usually consumed on sweltering summer days to help overcome heat exhaustion,’ former North Korean diplomat Ri Chol told 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 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 face the hot weather. This practice stands in stark contrast to the situation in South Korea, which officially passed 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 in prison or a fine of up to 30 million won.