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| Al Arabiya said that Egypt, dealing with an excessive number of stray dogs, is looking to export them to Korea. / Korea Times file |
By Ko Dong-hwan
Korea has agreed to help Egypt solve the Middle Eastern country's problem of stray dogs, Al Arabiya news outlet reports.
Al Arabiya said on Dec. 10 that Egypt was looking into sending live dogs to Korea.
Egyptian ‘executioners' have been shooting the dogs on sight.
But online reports about the culling have brought strong criticism.
Photos showed public workers shooting stray dogs in Alexandria.
The alleged dog trade was greeted with surprise in Korea.
The Korean Embassy in Egypt and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency are investigating where the report originated.
"There is a possibility that a private entrepreneur in Korea contacted the Egyptian government or a businessman in Egypt," an embassy official said.
He said confirming the veracity of the report was most urgent.
Koreans have traditionally eaten dogs, a custom often criticized as barbaric.
Korean residents in Egypt doubted whether the report was true, and if it was even possible to trade live stray dogs.
"Not only would exporting live dogs be problematic, but processing them in Korea ― slaughtering and storing ― would also open up problems," a Korean trade company official in Egypt told Hankook Ilbo.
Al Arabiya also said the General Organization for Veterinary Services at the Ministry of Agriculture in Egypt had agreed to send 10,000 live donkeys to China ― which needed the skins rather than the meat ― after requests from many Chinese companies.
The trade was reportedly respective of an Islamic ruling in Egypt's al-Azhar.
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