Gupo dog meat market in Busan province, South Korea - famous for selling frozen dog meat - was closed by Korean authorities late last month.
More than 80 dogs were rescued and are now being cared for by animal rescue organizations, including Humane Society International/Korea, the Korean Animal Welfare Association, the Korean Animal Rights Welfare Association, and the Korean Alliance for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The decision was made after the authorities reached a final agreement with 19 dog meat vendors at the market.
The government has planned to turn the market into a public park as part of an urban planning project.
The closure of the notorious Gupo dog meat market is seen as a major victory in the long-standing fight against the dog meat trade, which has long been widespread in South Korea.
Previously, Seongnam city in South Korea also closed the largest local dog slaughterhouse in November 2018 as well as closed all dog meat stores in the area.
"The closure of the Gupo dog meat market marks the end of a horrific era in the history of the dog meat trade in Korea, and is a sign of progress that law enforcement and local authorities are making to crack down on an industry that is popular with most Koreans. I know we still have a long way to go to completely end the dog meat trade here, but two years ago I would not have believed that we would see the progress we have today. It is a pleasure to work with the Busan government, and especially to be able to save the last surviving dogs in the market," said Kim Nara, who works for the Korean Humane Society.
