Protesters clashed with dog meat vendors at Seongnam’s infamous Moran Market on a rainy Saturday afternoon recently.

Activist groups banded together to protest against South Korea’s dog meat industry at Moran Market in the city of Seongnam where seven dog meat vendors decided to go against the agreement with the city’s order to disband on-site slaughtering and selling of live dogs. These vendors still continue to turn living dogs into meat for sale at the market.

The first protest occurred on Wednesday, July 12, the first hottest day of the year referred to as Bok Nal. Per the reports of activist group, Dasom, empty dog cages could be seen on trucks with bags of dog hair tied up and left on the street. Protesters with the group marched down the streets chanting for the abolishment of dog and cat meat in Korea.

On Saturday, July 15, over 200 activists showed up to protest but were denied entry by the police even after being granted a permit to do so. During the event, dog meat association vendors killed a live dog by blowtorch in retaliation for the protest. Screams of anger and crying were heard among the protestors. They still stood in solidarity chanting for the end of dog and cat meat.

With dog companionship on the rise, merchants have seen a decrease in demand during what is normally considered their busiest season. However, it will still be a sad month for Korean dogs as the height of consumption occurs overall during Bok Nal season.

When one lumps all South Koreans together in racist comments as barbaric disgusting people, it diminishes all these activists’ tireless work. Instead, we must stand in solidarity to show our support for all the South Korean activists and groups that tirelessly fight to end this cruel industry.