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One of the Loneliest Countries Finds Companionship in Dogs
最孤独的国家之一在小狗身上找到陪伴
The deceased lay wrapped in a cotton blanket, surrounded by white roses and hydrangea, angelic figurines and lit candles and incense. A wall-mounted screen displayed photographs of him.
逝者身上盖着一条棉布毯子，周围环绕着白玫瑰和绣球花、小天使雕像、点燃的蜡烛和香。挂在墙上的屏幕展示着他的照片。
His 71-year-old companion, Kim Seon-ae, convulsed with tears as she bid farewell, caressing his head and face. Next door, young uniformed morticians prepared for his cremation.
他71岁的同伴金善爱在向遗体告别时哭得身体颤抖，抚摸着他的头和脸。隔壁，年轻的穿制服的殡仪员已为火化做了准备。
The elaborate and emotional ritual was for a white poodle named Dalkong, who was nestled in a willow basket with his eyes still open. "He was like a virus that infected me with happiness," said Ms. Kim, who had lived with Dalkong for 13 years until he succumbed to heart disease. "We were family."
这个精心准备且充满感情的仪式是给一只名叫大康的白色贵宾犬准备的，它蜷缩在一个柳条篮子里，眼睛还没闭上。"他就像快乐病毒，深深感染了我。"金女士说，她和大康一起生活了13年，直到他死于心脏病，"我们是一家人。"
Not long ago, South Korea often made global headlines -- and raised the ire of animal rights groups -- for its tradition of breeding dogs for meat. But in recent years, people here have gravitated toward pets, especially dogs.
不久前，韩国还因其养殖肉狗的传统而经常登上全球新闻头条，并引起了动物权利组织的愤怒。但是近年来，韩国人被宠物吸引，尤其是狗。
They are looking for companionship at a time when more South Koreans are choosing to stay single, childless or both. More than two-fifths of all households in the nation now consist of only one person.
越来越多的韩国人选择保持单身、不要孩子或两者兼而有之，在这种情况下，他们正在寻找陪伴。韩国超过五分之二的家庭现在仅由一人组成。
Now, one out of every four families in South Korea has a pet, up from 17.4 percent in 2010, according to government estimates. Most of them are dogs.
据政府估计，现在，韩国每四个家庭中就有一个家庭拥有宠物，高于2010年的17.4%。其中大多数是狗。
"In this age of mistrust and loneliness, dogs show you what unconditional love is," said Ms. Kim's 41-year-old daughter, Kim Su-hyeon, who raised two dogs but has no plans for children. "A human child may talk back and rebel, but dogs follow you like you are the center of the universe."
"在这个充满不信任和孤独的时代，小狗向你展示了什么是无条件的爱，"金女士的41岁女儿金秀媛说，她养了两条狗，但不打算要孩子，"小孩可能会顶嘴和叛逆，但狗会跟随你，就好像你是宇宙的中心一样。"
Kim Kyeong-sook, 63, whose 18-year-old dachshund, Kangyi, was cremated on the same day as Dalkong, agreed. "When I left home, he saw me off at the door until it was closed behind me," she said. "When I returned, he was always there, going crazy as if I were coming home from war overseas."
63岁的金京淑也表示同意，她的18岁腊肠犬康依与大康在同一天被火化。"我离开家时，他在门口送我，直到门在我身后关上。"她说，"当我回来时，他总是在门口，疯狂地扑向我，好像我是从国外打完仗回家一样。"
The boom in pet services has changed the country's urban landscape. Hospitals and shops catering to pets have become ubiquitous, while childbirth clinics have all but disappeared, as South Korea's birthrate has become the lowest in the world.
宠物服务的繁荣改变了韩国的城市景观。宠物医院和宠物商店无处不在，而妇产诊所几乎已经消失，因为韩国的出生率已经成为世界最低。
In parks and neighborhoods, strollers are more often than not carrying dogs. Online shopping malls say they sell more baby carriages for dogs than for babies.
在公园和街区，婴儿车常常载着的是宠物狗。网上商城表示，他们销售的狗用婴儿车比婴儿用婴儿车还要多。
Politically, dogs have led to a rare case of bipartisanship in a country that is increasingly polarized. In January, lawmakers passed a law that banned the country's centuries-old practice of breeding and butchering dogs for human consumption. Now, dogs are family members that get splurged on.
政治上，在这个日益两极分化的国家，狗带来了罕见的两党合作。今年1月，立法者通过了一项法律，禁止该国数百年来为人类食用而饲养和屠宰狗的做法。如今，小狗是人们会大肆宠爱的家庭成员。
