North Koreans forced to give up pet dogs for restaurant meat

New Delhi, Aug 19: Pet becomes family but North Korea's controversial leader Kim Jong-un's order to the nation does not follow it.

Kim Jong-un issued a ban on pet ownership in July, a leading news agency there reported.

People in the country are reportedly being forced to give up their pet dogs so the dogs can be used as meat for restaurants amid food shortages in the country.

The move by the leader Kim Jong Un is thought to be aimed at appeasing rising discontent among the public amid a dire economic situation in the secretive country, including food shortages.

Pet dogs are thought to be owned mostly by the elite and wealthy in the capital Pyongyang and are seen by authorities a symbol of capitalist "decadence", while ordinary people have pigs and other livestock.

According to the report, "Authorities have identified households with pet dogs and are forcing them to give them up or forcefully confiscating them and putting them down."
Some of the dogs are being sent to state-run zoos or sold to dog meat restaurants, the source added.