Despite orders from the government, nearly all restaurants serving dog meat in South Korea’s Pyeongchang County, where the Winter Olympics are being held starting Friday, will continue to sell the controversial dish.
Of the 12 restaurants serving dog meat dishes in the area, only two have complied with local authorities, who offered them subsidies in exchange for taking the item off the menu during the games, Channel News Asia reports.
Eating dog meat is both a common and legal practice in Korea and many parts of Asia, though many activists are fighting to ban consumption of the greasy red meat. In addition, there are reportedly thousands of restaurants serving “gaegogi” dishes around the country — the delicacy is eaten mostly by older people and is believed to have strengthening and medicinal properties, USA Today reports.
In an effort to prepare for the Olympics and the influx of visitors that comes with it, officials in Pyeongchang County have spent millions of dollars in an attempt to Westernize amenities in the area. This included providing foreign-language menus at restaurants and restrooms, kitchens and dining areas, in addition to asking them to halt serving dog meat. – READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″] [divider][/divider]As athletes, reporters and fans from around the world gather in South Korea ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, officials in Pyeongchang face their own unique challenges as they try to keep a lid on a norovirus outbreak that has infected at least 128 people.
The threat of a disruptive illness during the anticipated games has prompted organizers to take a number of steps in their effort to stop its spread.
Anyone coming within the perimeter of the buffet in the athletes’ cafeteria, for example, is required to receive the hand sanitizer now prevalent throughout the community.
In addition to an abundance of the ethanol mixture in facilities throughout the village, officials are widely distributing information about the virus through posters and fliers printed in multiple languages. – READ MORE
[give_form id=”79809″] [divider][/divider]Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday that the United States will “soon unveil the toughest and most aggressive round of economic sanctions on North Korea ever.”
U.S. officials said they would impose those sanctions before the end of the Winter Olympics, which means Pence will quite possibly be in Pyeongchang, South Korea, when they go into effect.
“We will continue to isolate North Korea until it abandons its nuclear and ballistic missile programs once and for all,” Pence declared during his six-day trip to Japan and South Korea.
The Washington Examiner notes that Pence strove to send the message that the Winter Olympics will not “distract from the bellicose North Korean human rights abuses and nuclear program.” He met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss increasing pressure on North Korea. – READ MORE
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