Since FIFA urged Koreans to terminate the practice of animal cruelty and dog meat eating, a crucial social issue has emerged.

In July 2001, the members of an association against the cruel treatment of animals, both in the U.S. and England, staged protest campaigns denouncing dog meat eating in Korea.

On July 16, 2001, demonstrations were held in front of the Korean Embassy in London and two major TV channels broadcasted the scenes of dogs being slaughtered in Korea. The Korean Embassy in London received hundreds of protest letters. In the U.S., there had been a movement of boycotting Korean products. Simultaneously, pressure has mounted to cancel the support by the U.S. for the World Cup in Korea.

I disagree that eating dog meat is a culinary tradition in Korean culture. Is dog meat served in the memorial service for ancestors? Had dog meat been included in the menu of the royal court? The answer for both is negative. In the first place, it is wrong to describe dog meat eating as a prevalent custom among Koreans. Only a small minority, falls under the category of dog meat eaters, though there are no reliable statistics regarding the percentage of Koreans consuming dog meat.

Following episode may shed light on this matter:

The Yuksam-Hakhae ("Academic Fellowship of 1963" organized in 1963 by a group of Korean students studying in or around New York City) used to hold a meeting once a month to discuss the pressing issues facing the nation had a dinner together.

Towards the end of 1980s, the group went to a decent-looking restaurant in Myongdong since the usual place was closed for renovations. There were no signs whatsoever to indicate that the new place served dog meat exclusively.

We ordered several dishes listed on the menu and were surprised at their exorbitant price tags.

Someone in the group asked about why they were so expensive, like dog meat dishes. The waitress denied this vehemently. But, after dishes were served, we noticed something different. We called the waitress again and raised the question. The waitress smilingly admitted that the food was indeed dog meat. She said she had denied it before because she thought we knew about it but raised the question to be funny. All of us, about 12 persons, were all horrified and some even vomited. We walked out of the place without touching the dishes but paid the expensive bill.

The above episode indicates that it is wrong to say that dog meat eating is the eating practice of the majority of Koreans. It proves that dog meat eating is limited to only a small minority of the population.

Dog has been the most faithful companion of mad from time im-memorial. For dog lovers, dogs are more than pets. They are integral members of the family. For them, dog meat eating is tantamount to cannibalism.

The World Cup will offer Korea opportunities as well as challenges. Unless the image of Korea as a dog meat-eating nation is erased completely, the loss will far outweigh whatever benefits it may accrue. The negative impact will not be limited to the World Cup. All the promotional efforts undertaken by the government will evaporate into thin air. What is our government doing to ameliorate the worsening situation?

We have the "Animal Protection Law of 1991" which stipulates that those who transport or slaughter animals in a cruel manner in a way to render a feeling of discomfort to it are liable to be punished by a fine not exceeding 200,000 won or by detention. But, the law remains practically dead: Could we strengthen the law to the extent of outlawing dog meat trading completely? That seems to be the only way to save the World Cup.

To say that dog meat eating is part of Korean culinary culture misrepresents the true picture. How can anyone dare to claim that dog meat, which is banned completely from the ancestral memorial service, the root core of the Korean culture, be "traditional?"

Some have raised questions about the eating of horsemeat, snails and goose livers practiced some foreign countries. They are not relevant and represent a pedantic twist to the argument. We are living in a global age. We should develop a global mentality and behavior befitting the global society. We should have graduated from the remnants of xenophobia of the past and discard narrow-minded nationalistic prejudice. That would be the survival regimen open to Korea for the coming centuries.

There is no law in South Korea that specifically bans or permits dog eating and a group of lawmakers are preparing to legalize the dog meat trade. The legislation will include dogs in the category of edible livestock.

However, this is the time the South Korean government should seriously reconsider the practical purpose of legalization of the dog meat trade.

The international image of a country where sales and consumption of dog meat is legal is never as good as that of other countries where people keep dogs as just pets. Many people in the world still know little about South Korea, and if the first thing they hear about the country is that they eat dog meat, the impression they get may be that Koreans are not very civilized whatever the reason is.

All nations want to be thought of in positive terms, having a thick skin to criticism still belongs to some powerful countries but not yet to South Korea. In other words, South Korea is not influential enough to change the world stereotype of eating dog meat. The shallow and emotional reaction such as outraged netizens' creating websites promoting dog meat consumption and claiming that they cannot give up their age-old custom just because of the ignorant western pressure to the criticism, will finally bring the country much more loss than the benefit that they might expect to gain in the global society.

First of all, soccer fans who are planning to see the World Cup this year will surely prefer to fly to Japan rather than spending time in a country where people believe that dog meat is their traditional food, which is not true, especially if they have a pet. Therefore the more the issue is raised about dog meat internationally, the more benefit Japan will eventually receive through the World Cup.

Second, they should consider that other countries might boycott Korean products as a show of protest. Korean business people working overseas will surely have disadvantages resulting from the bad international image of the country where they are from. People will mind buying products made in a country where eating dog meat is legal.

Third, thousands of potential foreign travelers will lose interest in the country owing to the bad image. South Korea already has a war image since the country has been divided into two and still the tension between the two Koreas is ongoing. The dog meat eating custom will add one more negative image to the country.

Finally, living in a global society means that people should adjust their behavior to respect the feelings of others rather than just stressing their own beliefs especially when it comes to the country's economic and political future.