The National Boshintang (soup made with meat from dogs) Restaurant Association said Friday it will host a "boshintang tasting event' for foreigners in restaurants and on the street around World Cup stadiums in June. A director of the association, Park Seong-su said this was designed to get rid of the prejudice foreigners have about boshintang and is an attempt to legalize the distribution of dog meat. The event will not only promote boshintang and boiled dog, but also "dogburgers," sandwiches, and sweet and sour dog meat. Park noted that, dogburgers and sandwiches would be difficult to commercialize, since dog meat is about twice the price of beef, however, he said it will be specially prepared to suit foreigners’ tastes.

Nevertheless, the association is worried about harsh criticism of animal lovers around the world and because of this, Park said the tasting events will take place on days games are played by countries which have less rejection towards eating dogs.

The association was launched last January 25, with members consisting mostly of restaurant owners. The 150 members have 3 branches in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Daegu and are actively promoting "boshintang culture." Last April 12, they escorted some French high school students to a boshintang house for a tasting event.

(Kim Dong-sup, dskim@chosun.com )