Recent reports suggested that Korea’s Moran Market – one of the largest sellers of dog meat in Korea – would be closing its doors. While this claim has since been withdrawn, the City Mayor, Lee Jae Myeong, has confirmed that he wants to clean up the market’s image by forbidding the slaughter and sale of live dogs on site.

While the sale of dog meat in general will continue, there’s reason for optimism. Residents have expressed that the market is impeding economic growth. Others simply consider it “unsuitable”. It’s difficult to pinpoint the cause of this progressive shift, but it could be a result of South Korea’s role as host of the 2018 Winter Olympics, which is sure to create vocal criticism surrounding the inhumane dog meat industry.

“It’s clear that years of campaigning by animal lovers has had an effect,” writes Animals Asia, an organization devoted to ending the trade in dogs and cats for food in China. “So far no slaughter has been seen on site, but we are staying vigilant on this point and will continue to monitor the situation through our associates.”

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