South Korean embassy denies ever importing dog meat

CAIRO - 3 December 2018: South Korea has never imported dogs as food, and implying that dog meat is widespread in the country reveals “flagrant ignorance” of its culture, according to a Monday statement by the embassy of the Republic of Korea in Cairo.

The tradition of eating dog meat in South Korea is vanishing, and bringing the Asian country up when there is news about exporting dogs and cats is “defaming,” the statement said.

For week, a rumor spread over social media in Egypt that alleges the exportation of stray dogs and cats to Asian countries to be eaten, as a way for Egypt to rid itself of stray animals. Social media users, as well as some media outlets, claimed South Korea is one of those countries.

The rumor triggered strong reactions in social media, as Egyptians are not a population that ever ate cat or dog meat, on top of the presence of passionate animal rights advocates.

However, On Nov. 25, the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture denied the rumor.