Other bosintang hubs in Seoul tell much the same story. At Gyeongdong Market in Dongdaemun District, which once had over 20 bosintang restaurants clustered together, only a handful remain.

The Bosintang Burger, listed on McDonalds 'Favorites Under 400' menu, is a healthy option according to the Korean franchise — but it has animal activists protesting the new combo meal.

Bosintang is eaten on the three hottest days of the year to keep strength up. Dog meat is the fourth most popular meat in South Korea, after beef, chicken and pork.

Animal rights activists from around the world are calling for the boycott of September’s Incheon Asian Games, while planning to stage street protests against “bosintang” or dog meat soup.

It had not occurred to Choi Jin-kyu, 30, until he was older that eating bosintang, or a hot soup made of dog meat, might be a habit that was frowned upon.His father has been taking him to eat the ...