Gaegogi (also, Kaegogi) literally means "dog meat" in Korean. Gaegogi, however, is often mistaken as the term for Korean soup made from dog meat, bosintang (보신탕). It is made from a specific breed of dog that differs from those breeds that are kept as pets. Hangul is the native alphabet used to write the Korean language, as opposed to the hanja system borrowed from China. ... The Revised Romanization of Korean is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. ... McCune-Reischauer romanization is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems, along with the Revised Romanization of Korean, which replaced (a modified) McCune-Reischauer as the official romanization system in South Korea in 2000. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) The dog is a canine mammal of the Order Carnivora. ... Meat is animal tissue (mainly muscle) used as food. ... Soup is a savoury liquid food that is made by boiling ingredients, such as meat, vegetables and beans in stock or hot water, until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth. ...

The distaste felt by dog lovers, particularly from the West, with respect to eating dog has made this dish controversial in recent years.

During the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea's capital city, the South Korean government asked its citizens not to consume dog meat to avoid bad publicity during the games. Korean law technically prohibits dog meat, but the laws are not enforced. The controversy surfaced again in 2001 when the 2002 FIFA World Cup soccer games were held jointly in South Korea and Japan. The organizer of the games, under pressure from animal rights groups such as PETA, demanded that the Korean government re-address the issue, but little changed. The Games of the XXIV Olympiad were held in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ... Seoul (서울, â–¶ (help· info)) is the capital of South Korea (the Republic of Korea) and is one of the most populous cities in the world, located in the northwestern part of the country on the Han River. ... National motto: 널리 인간 세계를 이롭게 하라 Translation: Broadly bring benefit to humanity Official language Korean Capital Seoul Largest city Seoul President Roh Moo-hyun Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 108th 99,274 km² 0. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2002 (MMII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The FIFA World Cup (often called Football World Cup or simply World Cup, or The World Cup) is the most important competition in international football (soccer), and the worlds most representative team sport event. ... The logo of the Great Ape Project, which is campaigning for a Declaration on Great Apes. ... In physics and mathematics, peta (symbol: P) is a prefix in the SI (system of units) denoting 1015, or 1 000 000 000 000 000. ...

Many people have argued that international organizations such as FIFA and PETA have no right to interfere with an ancient Korean custom, maintaining that the only difference between slaughtering a dog for food and slaughtering a cow or a pig is the culture in which it is done. Pet owners and those in related industries assert that the relationship between working animals or pets and their owners is intrinsically different to that between humans and domesticated animals raised for food - notwithstanding that pet breeds are not used for gaegogi. Another part of the controversy stems from the methods of slaughter, one of which includes beating to death by clubs, (a criminal offense in many countries), due to the traditional belief that "beaten dogs taste better." An international organization (also called intergovernmental organization) is an organization of international scope or character. ... Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle (called cows in vernacular usage) are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ... Species Sus barbatus Sus bucculentus Sus cebifrons Sus celebensis Sus domesticus Sus heureni Sus philippensis Sus salvanius Sus scrofa Sus timoriensis Sus verrucosus Pigs are ungulates native to Eurasia collectively grouped under the genus Sus within the Suidae family. ...

The average Korean does not consume dog meat, as it is generally considered a medicinal dish (either to promote male virility or to combat the heat in summer). Many Korean Buddhists consider eating dog an offense. Unlike beef, pork, or poultry, dog meat has no legal status as food in South Korea. There is an opinion in South Korea that dog meat should be legalized so that only authorized preparers can deal with the meat in more humane ways, while others think eating dogs should be banned by law. The grounds of Koreas Buryeongsa Temple. ...

See also

• Taboo food and drink