한국의 1998년도 개사육두수는 1, 846, 411마리, 개사육 가구 수는 819, 112가구로 한집당 2.3마리이다. 그러나 식용견 사육업자가 기르는 개의 수까지 합산되어 나타난 결과이므로 식용견은 1, 027, 299마리로 볼 수 있다. 1998년도 한국의 개수출양은 28마리, 수입양은 296마리였다. 중국심양의 심양홍산 식품유한공사에서는 연간 30만마리의 개를 사용하여 도축하며, 그중 20%를 수출한다고 한다. 한국에서의 개고기 요리는 오랜 역사를 가진 독특한 음식문화이다. 조선시대에는 개고기를 개장국, 수육, 순대, 구이, 개찜, 느름이, 개소주, 술, 당과 등 다양한 방법으로 요리하여 먹었다. 현재는 보신탕, 수육, 전골, 무침, 두루치기, 개소주로 요리하고 있으며, 옛날보다 요리 방법이 줄었다. 그 원인은 외국의 간섭과 비난에도 원인이 있다. 그러나 한국의 개고기 음식을 다른 나라 사람이 비난하는 것은 부당하고, 월권적인 일이다. 한국에는 식용견이 별도로 있기 때문이다.
In the year of 1998, the heads of dog raised in Korea were 1, 846, 411, and the number of the households raising dogs is 819, 112 which means that the heads of pet dog and edible dos were 819, 112 and 1, 027, 299, respectively, because each house raised about one pet dog and one edible dog breeder raised hundreds of dog. In 1998, the number of exported dogs came to 28 heads, and that of imported dogs was 296 heads. But edible dog that was slaughtered or processed has not been reported to be exported or imported. It is known that at the Shenyang Xingshan Food Ltd in Shenyang, Chinese, 300, 000 heads of dogs were raised, slaughtered and processed of dog meat per year, and 20% of them were exported. In Korea, the cook of dog meat is a special food culture with a long history. During the Chosun dynasty, dog meat had been eaten to be cooked diversely such as Gaejangkuk(a soup), Suyuk(a boiled meat), Sundae(a sausage), Kui(a roasted meat), Gaezim(a steamed meat), Nurumi(a meat roasted or fried, to which lot of spice paste are added), Gaesoju(an extract), Musulju(a wine), Musuldang(a sweet cane), Now, it is cooked as Bosintang(a soup), Suyuk(a boiled meat), Jeongol(boiled meat mixed with spices, vegetables and water on the pot), Duruchigi(boiled meat added spice vegatable and slightly roasted), Muchim(boiled meat added by spice and mixed), Gaesoju(an extract), with the number of recipes lessened, compared with those of the old times. The reason is due to the intervention and criticism from foreign countries. But foreigner`s blame for the dog meat is absurd and excessive action, because Korea raises exceptional dogs which are edible.