South Korea's largest dog meat market has officially closed.

The Gupo dog meat market in Busan, South Korea – known for its frozen dog meat trade – was shut down by South Korean authorities at the end of last month.

Over 80 dogs have been rescued and are now being cared for by animal rescue organizations, including the International/Korean Humane Society, the Korean Animal Protection Association, the Korean Animal Rights Protection Association, and the Korean Alliance for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

This decision was made after authorities reached a final agreement with 19 shop owners who supply dog ​​meat at the market.

The authorities have planned to transform this 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 been prevalent in South Korea for centuries.

Previously, the city of Seongnam in South Korea also closed down the largest dog slaughterhouse in the area in November 2018, as well as closing down all dog meat shops 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 South Korea, and is also a sign of progress that law enforcement agencies and local authorities are making in cracking down on an industry that is very popular with most Koreans. I know that we still have a long way to go to completely end the dog meat trade here, but two years ago I couldn't even believe that we would witness such progress today. It's a joy to work with the Busan authorities, and especially to be able to save the last remaining dogs in the market," shared Kim Nara, an employee of Humane Society Korea.

Nga Nguyen