The dogs, who are mostly Korean Jindo mixes, were rescued by a charity workers group as the entire market was forced to shut down.
The terrified animals were so scared that they were cowering in their cramped cages and had to be forcefully pulled out. They have now been placed in temporary shelters.
These dogs had lived their entire lives in cages. These were born and bred specifically for the meat market only.
The Gupo market was shut down as it is now turning into a public park.
Nara Kim, dog meat campaigner for Humane Society International (HSI), said: ‘For decades they have stood as a very public symbol of the immense cruelty of the dog meat trade, with live dogs displayed in cages on the street for shoppers to select for slaughter by electrocution.
‘The closure of Gupo’s dog meat market means the end of a gruesome era in South Korea’s dog meat history, and a sign of the times that law enforcement and local authorities are cracking down on this increasingly unpopular industry that most Koreans want nothing to do with.
‘I know we have a long way to go to end the dog meat trade here, but even two years ago I would never have believed we would see such progress.
‘It has been a pleasure to work with the Busan authorities, and especially in being able to save the last remaining dogs we found alive.’
Kim Ae-ra, president of Busan Korean Alliance for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said: ‘We started anti-dog meat protests in front of Gupo dog meat market for the first time in 2007 and so we are deeply moved that the market will be the first complete shutdown of its kind in Korea.’
Source – Daily Mail – dailyfeeds.social