다음은 조선닷컴 http://www.chosun.com 에 있는 뉴시스의 기사입니다. WSJ ‘한국 보신탕’ 대서특필, 美 쇠고기반대 역풍? 뉴시스 미국산 쇠고기 반대에 대한 역풍인가. 한국의 미국산 쇠고기 수입 반대를 비판적으로 다뤘던 월 스트리트 저널(WSJ)이 A섹션 1면에 느닷없이 보신탕 기사를 올려 그 저의에 관심이 모아지고 있다. WSJ는 12일(현지시간) ‘서울의 개고기 판매상’이라는 기사에서 한국의 보신탕 문화를 소개하고 위생상의 문제에 따른 대책, 개고기 논쟁, 모란시장의 판매 실태 등을 자세히 소개했다. 미주 동포사회는 한국의 보신탕에 대해 이미 많은 미국인들도 알고 있다는 점에서 최근 미국산 쇠고기 수입 반대에 대한 불쾌감을 한국의 음식 문화에 대한 혐오감으로 표현한 게 아니냐는 의견이 일고 있다. WSJ는 “뜨거운 여름이 다가오면서 많은 한국인들은 ‘단고기’와 ‘보신탕’으로 알려진 개고기를 먹는다”고 말했지만 수요가 많아지는 초복이 되려면 두 달도 더 남았다는 점에서 옹색한 이유가 되고 있다. WSJ는 지난 3월 서울의 위생당국이 개고기 일부에 살모넬라균이 검출돼 위생 규정을 적용하는 방안을 모색하고 있으며 이것이 애견가와 보신탕 애호가의 갈등을 부추기고 있다며 짐짓 ‘시의성’있는 기사임을 강조했다. 그러면서 “이 같은 논란이 미국산 쇠고기에 대한 격렬한 반발에 따른 것”이라는 논리로 발전해 한인 독자들을 의아하게 만들었다. 한인 독자 정수빈(포트리 거주)씨는 “얼마 전 월스트리트 저널이 한국의 쇠고기 반대 시위가 언론의 오보와 사람들의 무지에 따른 것이라는 기사를 낸 적이 있는데 새로울 것도 없는 보신탕 기사를 1면에 낸 것은 한국에 대한 흠집내기가 아닌지 의심이 간다”고 말했다. 김정호(플러싱 거주)씨도 “미국 주류 언론이 보신탕 기사를 한번 내면 그 후유증이 오래 간다. 개를 사람보다 더 위하는 미국인들에게 어떤 느낌을 주겠느냐”면서 “개고기 위생 문제를 거론한 것은 한국민들이 먹는 보신탕도 문제가 있는데 무슨 미국 쇠고기를 나무라냐고 비꼬는 것 같다”고 나름대로 분석했다. WSJ는 이날 기사에서 “보신탕이 스태미나와 성적인 힘을 증강시키는 것으로 알려져 있지만 최근 살모넬라균과 포도상구균 오염 문제로 위생당국이 조치를 취하면서 오랜 문화적 논쟁이 폭발할 것처럼 들끓고 있다”고 말했다. 신문은 보신탕이 서울에서는 공식적으로 금지돼 있지만 약 530개의 식당이 보신탕을 메뉴로 올리고 생강과 마늘 양념이 들어간 매운 맛의 보신탕 한그릇이 해물탕이나 쇠고기탕보다 두 배 비싼 10달러 정도 한다고 소개했다. 위생당국의 개고기에 대한 실태 조사에 대해 애견가 그룹은 개고기를 합법화하는 계기가 될까 걱정하고 있고 보신탕 애호가들은 위생 규정이 적용되면 보신탕 가격이 오르지 않을까 걱정하고 있다고 전했다. 신문은 “100년 전만 해도 가난하고 폐쇄적인 농업국가였던 한국에서는 소처럼 일을 부리고 나중에 도축할 수 있는 큰 동물보다 개를 흔하게 잡아 먹었다”면서 “중국과 베트남에서도 쇠고기보다 연하고 단 개고기를 먹고 있다”고 전했다. 또 2006년 KBS가 조사한 바에 따르면 한국인은 3명 중 1명 꼴로 보신탕을 먹으며 응답자의 9%만이 보신탕이 금지되야 한다고 나올만큼 개고기는 애견가들 사이에서도 큰 이견이 없다고 말했다. 일년에 몇번은 개고기를 먹는다는 김모(60)씨는 “개고기는 고단백이면서 고혈압에도 좋아서 의사도 가끔 먹을 것을 권한다”고 말했다. 한국은 88올림픽을 앞두고 개고기를 금지했지만 업주들은 대개 간판을 내리고 영업을 계속했다면서 “간판이 없어도 손님들이 알아서 계속 찾아온다”는 한 업주의 말을 소개했다. WSJ는 서울 외곽으로 나가면 개고기에 대한 제한이 없다면서 “모란시장에는 개의 털을 태우는 부탄 가스 냄새가 진동한다. 대부분의 개고기는 천연기념물 진돗개와 비슷하게 생긴 황구로 공급되는데 대부분 시골 농가에서 사육되며 12개월에서 18개월 될 때 도축된다"고 전했다. 입력 : 2008.05.13 14:18 다음은 the Wall Street Journal http://online.wsj.com 에 있는 기사입니다. Seoul Hounds Meat Vendors For Cleaner Chow Dog Stew Is a Delicacy, But Causes Salmonella; $10 for 'Healthy Soup' By EVAN RAMSTAD May 12, 2008; Page A1 SEOUL, South Korea : As the hot summer rolls around, many South Koreans will dine on a local dish that's often named "sweet meat" or "healthy soup." The dish is dog : and it supposedly gives an energizing boost without a filled up feeling. Some say it enhances stamina and sexual prowess. But dog meat has recently been linked to a spate of salmonella and staph infections, drawing the attention of authorities : and bringing a long-simmering cultural dispute to a boil. Evan Ramstad The dogs most often eaten in South Korea are of a breed simply known as 'yellow dog,' which looks similar to an indigenous hunting breed called Jindo. Though dog meat is officially banned in Seoul, enforcement is lax. It is served by an unsupervised industry of small farmers, butchers and mom-and-pop restaurants. In Seoul alone, some 530 restaurants have dog on the menu, mostly spicy dog meat stew laced with ginger and garlic for about $10 a bowl, about twice as much as soups made with seafood or beef. In March, Seoul's food safety office tied some salmonella cases to dog meat. Concerned, officials proposed designating dogs as "livestock," which would subject the meat to rules on sanitation. While there's no timetable for a final decision, the agency is now making a formal survey of handling methods at restaurants known to serve dog. These moves have upset lovers of dogs and lovers of dog meat alike. Animal welfare activists worry that enhanced safety procedures will legitimize dog meat, leading to increased consumption. People in the dog meat industry worry their costs will rise under new regulations, weakening demand and tightening the squeeze on a business that's already got an image problem. The outcry has been followed by a backlash over another kind of meat: American beef. Just last month, South Korea ended its five year ban on U.S. beef imports, angering consumers concerned about sanitation at U.S. slaughterhouses and farms after a 2003 case of mad cow disease. Caught in the middle of the dog meat debate is the director of Seoul's food safety office, Lee Hae woo. "Our job is to care about the safety of what people eat," he says. "We'll do whatever we need to do." A century ago, when South Korea was a poor, closed and largely agrarian society, dogs were more commonly eaten than other animals. Big animals like ox were valued for their ability to carry loads and people could be penalized for eating them. Dog, which is typically lighter and sweeter tasting than beef, is also eaten in China and Vietnam. No official estimates exist on the size of South Korea's dog-meat industry. A 2006 survey by KBS TV, one of the three main national networks, found that one in three respondents had eaten dog meat. It also found that consumption patterns were no different between people who had dogs as pets and those who didn't. Only 9% of respondents thought it should be banned. "It's very high in protein and it doesn't leave you with a sense of fullness," says Kim Moon suk, a 60 year old who eats dog meat several times a year and says he likes it better than beef but not as much as chicken. One recent night, he sat down for a bowl at a casual restaurant called Kwang kyo Grandmother's House, tucked way in a small alley in downtown Seoul. He said he came after a doctor's check up earlier in the day revealed high blood pressure. "The doctor said I should eat some tonight," Mr. Kim said. For decades, regulators have tiptoed around the business. Seoul banned dog meat restaurants in the mid 1980s because of worries about the image they would send during the 1988 Olympics the city hosted. But owners like Kim Mee ja kept serving it, though Ms. Kim removed a sign advertising it from her small restaurant called Pyongyang Place in an alleyway near the national police headquarters. "Even without a sign, people would come again and again," she says. Some restaurants serving dog have names related to North Korea, where dog-eating is also common. Enforcement eventually grew lax as demand for the meat persisted. City officials worried that a legal challenge to restaurant owners would provoke outrage among diners and force a delicate issue back out into the open. Seoul police cite restaurants only after complaints from citizens or health inspectors, a police spokesman said. "There is an opinion that controlling dog meat only because it is disgusting food is against the constitution," says Mr. Lee, director of the food safety office. Removing the Fear Factor Ms. Kim, who has run her restaurant for 26 years and dreams of expansion, says regulation could turn out to be a boon for business. Ms. Kim's mother raises dogs on a farm in a southern province and ships them by rail to Seoul, where a butcher processes them for the restaurant. Ms. Kim and her sister Su jung stew the whole dog for 24 hours before serving. "The only thing that keeps people from eating dog meat is fear about the sanitation," she says. "If that factor is gone, then people will have nothing to worry about." That worries Kang Hee chun, a member of an animal welfare group that has been staging a nearly continuous protest at Seoul's city hall over the proposed regulations. "Consumption will rise as a result and the image of dog meat will become more positive," said Ms. Kang as she held up photos of captive dogs during the protest one afternoon. "We want the practice of killing dogs for meat to be nonexistent." No Restrictions Outside the capital, there are no restrictions on dog meat. A large outdoor market in the suburb of Moran, 20 miles south of central Seoul, is one of the centers of the trade in South Korea. About a dozen butchers line a row at the market, with a shop that sells herbs and spices for the stew at the end. The smell of butane, used to fuel burners to remove fur from dog carcasses, hangs over the market. Some butchers also sell goat, goose and chicken. Today, most dog meat comes from a breed simply known as "yellow dog" that looks similar to an indigenous hunting breed called Jindo. Most are raised on farms with dozens of other dogs, fed scrap from restaurants and sold for meat at between 12 and 18 months of age. Yoon Chul gyun, who has been running his shop at the market for 20 years, says daily demand for dogs is just 10% of what it was when he started. He buys dogs from farmers for about $120 each and, after rendering, sells the meat from one for about $140 to $150. "If guidelines are set for dog meat, such as sanitary standards, the price will rise, no doubt," Mr. Yoon says. He forecasts a temporary dip in demand, then a rise that will attract bigger companies as processors and distributors. "That leaves individual dog-meat store owners like me with a bleak future," he says. Julie Yang and SungHa Park contributed to this article. Write to Evan Ramstad at evan.ramstad@wsj.com