Dog may be a staple ingredient in various Asian cuisines, but that wasn’t enough to silence South Korean animal rights activists, whose repeated protests lead to the cancellation of a Seongnam festival focused on promoting canine meat’s consumption.

The festival, which was to be held in a traditional open-air market, quickly stirred fury from South Korean animal advocates and many Internet users, who conducted several online campaigns to force the event’s cancellation.

“This is making our country an international laughing stock, and making the whole world mistakenly believe that all South Koreans eat dogs,” said Park So-Youn, head of Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth.

The continued protests eventually led to a lack of appropriate space for the event. “We couldn’t possibly go on with the plan due to endless phone calls of complaint…now there are few willing to rent us a place for the event,” said Ann Yong-Geun, an adviser to the Korea Dog Farmers’ Association and a professor of nutrition at Chung Cheong University.

Of course, for those who do enjoy their dog meat, the South Korean event’s cancellation seems unlikely to have lasting implications. A similar, week-long festival recently  kicked off without a hitch in China.

Story by Elaine Furst for Dog Files