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North Korea heatwave food promotion

Updated 6 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

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2026-08-08 04:43 UTC → 2026-08-11 19:53 UTC · added removed

In early August 2026, North Korean state media urged citizens to eat dog‑meat soup as a traditional remedy for the record‑breaking summer heat, citing medical advice that the dish could help prevent heat‑related illnesses. The campaign highlighted the dish’s cultural status, specialised restaurants specialized restaurants, and a national cooking competition, and contrasted the recommendation with South Korea’s recent ban on dog meat. Rodong Sinmun and KCNA later listed other cooling foods such as watermelon, cucumbers cucumbers, and mung beans, and reiterated the competition, quoting a proverb that the soup becomes medicine if it spills on one’s foot during the “dog days” of summer. A doctor from Pyongyang General Hospital recommended the same cooling foods and “nutritious” options including dog‑meat soup, fish porridge porridge, and red‑bean porridge. The coverage portrayed Kim Jong Un as sharing citizens’ hardship, recalling his 2013 summer site inspection despite intense heat. On 7 August 2026, Pyongyang recorded a high of 36.7 °C, the hottest on record for the capital, while temperatures elsewhere in the country approached 40 °C. South Korean authorities reported more than 20 heat‑related deaths and a national high of 42.5 °C. North Korean officials did not release domestic heat‑related mortality figures. KCNA also praised samgyetang, a ginseng‑filled chicken soup, as a heat‑relief dish. By 9 August 2026, as temperatures on the peninsula reached up to 42.5 °C, state media continued promoting ‘dangogi guk’ (dog meat soup) and ‘samgyetang’ as nutritional supplements to endure thermal stress. While medical professionals suggest these hot dishes provide essential nutrients, experts note that dog meat is expensive, making the state’s recommendation difficult for many citizens to afford. The United Nations World Food Programme estimated that over 40 % of North Korea’s 26‑million 26-million population is chronically malnourished, heightening health risks during the extreme temperatures. South Korea plans to ban dog‑meat consumption in 2027, underscoring the regional contrast in food practices.

Versions

  1. 2026-08-11 19:53 UTC North Korea heatwave food promotion
  2. 2026-08-08 04:43 UTC North Korea heatwave food promotion
  3. 2026-08-07 19:05 UTC North Korea heatwave food promotion
  4. 2026-08-07 18:34 UTC North Korea heatwave food promotion
  5. 2026-08-07 12:09 UTC North Korea heatwave food promotion
  6. 2026-08-07 06:29 UTC North Korea heatwave food promotion
  7. 2026-08-07 06:29 UTC North Korea heatwave food campaign

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