North Korea urges dog‑meat soup to beat record heat

North Korea dog‑meat soup heat wave samgyetang Kim Jong Un

North Korean state media reported a record heat wave, with Pyongyang reaching 36.7 °C (98.1 °F) – the highest since weather recordings began – and temperatures of up to 40 °C reported elsewhere. In a health feature, the ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun quoted a doctor at Pyongyang General Hospital who recommended cooling foods such as watermelon, cucumber and mung beans, and “nutritious foods” including dog‑meat soup, fish porridge and red‑bean porridge. The newspaper devoted a separate article to dog‑meat soup, describing it as a traditional summer remedy and reviving an old saying that “even if dog‑meat soup spills on your foot during the dog days, it becomes medicine.” State agency KCNA also praised samgyetang, a ginseng‑filled chicken soup, as a heat‑relief dish. Coverage highlighted a national dog‑meat cooking competition and portrayed leader Kim Jong Un as sharing the same oppressive weather as ordinary citizens. North Korea has not released any heat‑related death figures, while neighboring South Korea reported more than 20 deaths during the same heat wave. The reports note that over 40 % of North Korea’s 26 million people suffer chronic malnutrition, limiting their ability to cope with extreme temperatures. South Korea is set to ban dog‑meat consumption in 2027, underscoring the regional contrast in food practices.

Entities

Democratic People's Republic of Korea · Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) · Dog‑meat soup · Kaesong · Kim Jong Un · Korean Central News Agency · Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) · North Korea · Pyongyang · Pyongyang General Hospital · Rodong Sinmun · Samgyetang

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 5 SOURCES] North Korea has not released data on heat‑related deaths. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] KCNA praised samgyetang, a chicken soup with ginseng, as a remedy for the heat. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] North Korea recorded a temperature of 36.7 °C, the highest since weather recordings began. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] South Korea reported more than 20 deaths related to the heat wave. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] A national dog‑meat cooking competition was held earlier this year. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] A doctor at Pyongyang General Hospital recommended cooling foods including watermelon, cucumbers, mung beans, dog‑meat soup, fish porridge and red‑bean porridge. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] State media recommended dog‑meat soup as a traditional summertime remedy for the heat. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] Kim Jong Un is portrayed as enduring the heat, saying work must continue even when the weather is unbearably hot. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] State media recommended dog‑meat soup as a summer remedy to withstand heat. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] North Korea held a national dog‑meat cooking competition earlier this year. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] KCNA promoted samgyetang, a chicken soup with ginseng, glutinous rice and jujubes, as relief from the heat. wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com
[● 5 SOURCES] Kim Jong Un said, “even if the weather is unbearably hot, work that must be done for the people should be done.” wixx.com · wxerfm.com · kfgo.com · wtvbam.com · gulfnews.com