North Korea’s state media has recommended dog meat soup as protection against summer heat, reviving Pyongyang’s long-running effort to promote the controversial dish as record-high temperatures grip both sides of the Korean peninsula.
Rodong Sinmun, the ruling Workers’ Party newspaper, published health advice on Sunday offering tips for coping with the heatwave and first aid guidance for heat-related illnesses.
In an interview with a senior doctor at Pyongyang General Hospital, the newspaper warned that “cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and hyperthyroidism can worsen due to heat exhaustion and heatstroke”.
The paper recommended cooling foods such as watermelon, mung beans and cucumbers, along with “highly nutritious foods” including dog meat soup, fish porridge and red bean porridge.
Dog meat soup, known locally as dangogi guk (sweet meat soup), has long been promoted by the North Korean government as a traditional health tonic, although it remains an expensive dish beyond the reach of many ordinary citizens.
“Dangogi is popular in the North, but it is a pricey food,” Ri Chol, a former North Korean diplomat, told This Week in Asia.
“It is mostly consumed on hot summer days to help fend off heat exhaustion,” he said.
Pyongyang has promoted dangogi for decades, building upscale speciality restaurants along the Taedong River and registering regional recipes as cultural heritage.
The government also organises annual cooking competitions in the capital to elevate the culinary status of dog meat, portraying it as a patriotic way to endure the summer heat.
The practice stands in sharp contrast to South Korea, which enacted landmark legislation in 2024 banning the breeding, slaughter, distribution and sale of dogs for human consumption.
The law includes a three-year grace period ending in February 2027, after which violators face a maximum of three years in prison or fines of up to 30 million South Korean won (US$22,000).
Since July 27, Pyongyang has experienced a string of tropical nights with overnight temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius.
The Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported on Monday that a “sweltering heat advisory” would remain in effect until Sunday across most areas south of the country’s central region, as well as parts of the north, where daytime highs are expected to reach 33 to 35 degrees Celsius with average relative humidity exceeding 70 per cent.
A separate “high temperature advisory” has been issued through Saturday for Pyongyang, North Pyongan Province, parts of Jagang Province, and sections of the central and southern regions, where temperatures are forecast to range from 35 to 40 degrees Celsius.
Across the border, South Korea is also grappling with one of its most severe heatwaves in decades.
The extreme heat, which recently pushed temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius in parts of the country’s southeast, is moving towards the Seoul metropolitan area.
Forecasters say Typhoon Dolphin, which is moving towards Japan, is likely to intensify the heat rather than provide relief.
Meteorologists believe the storm will be blocked by two powerful heat domes surrounding the Korean peninsula, allowing only hot, dry winds to reach South Korea.
Kim Soo-hyeon, a forecaster at the Korea Meteorological Administration, said western regions are expected to become even hotter because of persistent easterly winds.
“As Typhoon Dolphin moves westwards from the waters north of Guam, the easterly winds are expected to persist, so temperatures in western regions are likely to remain high for the time being,” Kim said.
