North Korea Promotes Dog Meat Soup During Heatwave as South Prepares Trade Ban

Summer Food Advice Meets Extreme Heat

North Korea is promoting dog meat soup as a food for enduring summer heat as temperatures exceed 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the country and power shortages limit access to air conditioning. Across the border, South Korea has recorded an all-time high of 42.5 degrees Celsius in Yangsan while preparing to ban the dog meat trade in February 2027.

As of August 5, 2026, the two countries are responding to severe heat with different public messages. South Korean officials have urged residents to follow a water-shade-rest formula and stop outdoor work between 2 and 5 p.m. North Korean state media have focused instead on dietary recommendations, including a soup long presented as a source of stamina.

Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the ruling Workers Party, included dog meat soup among foods recommended in an interview with a senior doctor from Pyongyang General Hospital. The advice also covered watermelon, mung beans, cucumbers and several kinds of porridge.

For many North Koreans, however, the gap between official recommendations and household resources is substantial. Former diplomat Ri Chol said dog meat remains expensive and beyond the reach of ordinary households. The World Food Programme estimates that 10.7 million North Koreans face malnutrition.

Temperatures Strain Both Sides of the Border

North Korea has experienced multiple days above 40 degrees Celsius. In Pyongyang, consecutive tropical nights, with temperatures remaining above 25 degrees Celsius, have continued since late July. The heat has therefore extended beyond daytime hours into the night.

Meteorologists forecast continued highs of between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius across central and southern regions. Both North and South Korea have issued heat advisories as the conditions strain daily life throughout the peninsula.

South Korean officials have paired those warnings with instructions about water, shade and rest. Their recommendation to halt outdoor work between 2 and 5 p.m. gives residents a specific period in which to avoid working outside.

North Korea's dietary messaging places traditional summer foods at the centre of its public advice. That approach comes as electricity shortages restrict the cooling available to households.

What the Hospital Doctor Recommended

Rodong Sinmun's interview with the senior doctor from Pyongyang General Hospital addressed the risks that extreme heat poses to people with existing illnesses. The doctor noted that cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and hyperthyroidism can worsen during heat exhaustion and heatstroke.

The newspaper's food recommendations included cooling items such as watermelon, mung beans and cucumbers. It also highlighted protein-rich options, including fish porridge, red bean porridge and dog meat soup.

North Korea's promotion of these dishes is an annual effort to present traditional foods as tools for enduring summer conditions. Dog meat soup occupies a particular place in that message because of its longstanding reputation as a tonic that builds stamina.

A Dish Promoted as Food and Heritage

Dog meat soup is known locally as dangogi guk, or sweet meat soup. Its reputation in North Korea as a food that restores strength stretches back decades, and restaurants along the Taedong River specialize in preparing it.

Regional recipes have been added to the country's national list of intangible cultural heritage. Government-organized cooking contests, including one held in 2020, have also presented the preparation of the dish as a patriotic activity.

Some residents associate animals with darker fur with greater nutritional value. Traders have reportedly dyed lighter animals black to meet that demand and charge higher prices. The practice connects a belief about the food's nutritional qualities with the price buyers are asked to pay.

Official promotion therefore extends beyond a seasonal menu recommendation. The dish is also presented through restaurants, recognition of regional recipes and cooking competitions that connect its preparation with national culture.

Why the Soup Is Associated With Summer

The custom of eating dog meat during the hottest days of the lunar calendar, known as sambok, once appeared on both sides of the Korean Peninsula. It rests on the belief that hot meals rich in nutrients help the body manage extreme temperatures.

That belief helps explain why a warm soup appears among recommendations for coping with hot weather. North Korea continues to support the custom through official channels, while changing attitudes in South Korea have reduced its prevalence there.

Recipes typically combine dog meat with vegetables and herbs, including leeks, onions, perilla leaves and red pepper. The meat is boiled twice, and the finished dish is served warm.

Price and Power Limit Household Choices

Ri Chol, the former diplomat, said the dish remains too expensive for ordinary households. Its place in official summer guidance sits alongside a broader shortage of affordable food and protein.

The World Food Programme's estimate that 10.7 million North Koreans face malnutrition gives a measure of that pressure. Chronic agricultural shortfalls compound the difficulty of obtaining protein sources during any season, not just during the current heatwave.

Power shortages create another constraint. Air conditioning use is limited by unreliable electricity, while wealthier families have turned to private generators. Rural areas continue to rely on traditional methods of coping with the heat.

Food prices and access to power shape what households can do in practice. A recommended meal may remain unaffordable, while electrical cooling depends on resources that are unevenly available.

South Korea Moves Toward a Ban

South Korea will enforce a nationwide ban on breeding, slaughtering, selling and distributing dogs for consumption from February 2027. Violators face up to three years in prison or fines reaching 30 million won.

By May 2026, 82 percent of farms previously engaged in the trade had already closed. The closures show how far the trade had contracted before the scheduled enforcement date.

Public opinion in South Korea shifted after years of animal welfare campaigns. North Korea, meanwhile, continues to present the dish as part of its cultural response to seasonal heat, creating a widening difference in official approaches to a custom once found on both sides of the border.

The key dates trace that contrast between continued promotion in the North and the approaching prohibition in the South:

• 2020: North Korea held a government-organized cooking contest presenting preparation of the dish as a patriotic activity.
• May 2026: In South Korea, 82 percent of farms previously involved in the dog meat trade had closed.
• Late July 2026 onward: Pyongyang recorded consecutive tropical nights above 25 degrees Celsius.
• February 2027: South Korea's nationwide ban on breeding, slaughtering, selling and distributing dogs for consumption is scheduled to take effect.

Key Points

• North Korean state media recommended dog meat soup alongside foods including watermelon, mung beans, cucumbers and porridge during severe summer heat.
• South Korea recorded 42.5 degrees Celsius in Yangsan, while North Korea experienced multiple days above 40 degrees Celsius.
• Dog meat soup has a longstanding cultural reputation in North Korea, but former diplomat Ri Chol said it remains unaffordable for ordinary households.
• The World Food Programme estimates that 10.7 million North Koreans face malnutrition, while agricultural and electricity shortages limit household choices.
• South Korea's dog meat trade ban takes effect in February 2027, with penalties of up to three years in prison or fines of up to 30 million won.