00:00If you've never heard of bongnal, you're not alone.
00:02These are traditionally considered the hottest days of the Korean summer, when people generally
00:07eat foods believed to restore energy and stamina.
00:10For decades, that included dog meat stew, but today is different.
00:15Here at Moran Market, once considered South Korea's best-known center for the dog meat
00:20trade, many people say they're taking part in what could be the final bongnal.
00:24That is, before a nationwide dog meat ban takes full effect next February.
00:30At first glance, Moran Market still looks busy.
00:33The lunch crowds are here, the restaurants are full, and steaming pots are coming out
00:38of kitchens just as they have for decades.
00:40But look a little closer, and the market tells a different story.
00:45The restaurant we're visiting today is one of the few places still known for dog meat
00:50stew, and on a day like this, many of its customers are still ordering it.
00:54Yet vendors say most businesses here have already moved on, with demand declining.
00:59What's striking here is that many of the people who support ending the dog meat trade still
01:05describe today as emotional.
01:07One vendor became visibly upset when talking about some of the elderly customers who've
01:12been coming here for years, for decades, and still may never be able to legally eat the
01:17meat again.
01:18We spoke with one diner who said he'd travelled around Seoul looking for dog meat restaurants
01:23before the ban takes effect.
01:27I feel incredibly sad.
01:31This food was known to be good for people whose health isn't good, so I used to have it often.
01:35But now that they're removing this food, I feel very sad.
01:40In many ways, this is not just about the controversial food.
01:44It's a story about generational change in South Korea.
01:47The customers still seeking out dog meat are largely elderly, while younger Koreans have
01:52grown up with very different views about animals, pets, and food.
01:56food.
01:58The dog meat trade isn't disappearing overnight.
02:01There are still customers here, and there are still vendors serving them.
02:08I'm doing this business, but honestly, our dog meat culture is a somewhat backward kind
02:14of culture in this modern global society.
02:19Why else would the government have gotten so involved like this, if it's not truly worth
02:24it?
02:26I think that's how it will go, and should be going forward.
02:32If our country wants to raise our national image and demonstrate our presence abroad, I
02:37believe this kind of thing shouldn't exist.
02:41But standing in Moran Market here today on one of the busiest days of the year for dog
02:46meat restaurants, it's hard to miss the sense that the tradition is already fading even before
02:52the law finally brings it to an end.
02:54For the future of the day that you think that the people who had a penalty which
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