North Korea leader Kim Jong Un has ordered all dogs be sent to zoos - or restaurants to be cooked up as a local delicacy - as he seeks to combat food shortages and a struggling economy, Sky News and others report.
The hermit state's leader is looking for ways to overcome the effects of the international coronavirus crisis, the reports say.
Dogs symbolize "Western decadence," Kim said recently. Pet owners are now scared their animals will be killed for meat, South Korea newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported quoting unidentified sources. It said North Korea authorities know the addresses of dog owners and are forcing them to surrender pets or are "confiscating them and putting them down.''
Ordinary citizens raise pigs and other livestock on their front porches "but high-ranking officials and the wealthy own dogs," the report said quoting a source. This has fueled resentment.
However, Kim's decree is believed to be an attempt to deal with nationwide food shortages and his personal belief dogs represent a "tainted trend of bourgeois ideology." Dog owners are bitter and many are said to be "cursing Kim behind his back." But they are powerless, the sources said.
According to the Daily Mail, dog meat is in demand in North Korea - especially during the humid summer months. The meat is a popular staple in parts of China but not so much in South Korea. It is a source of protein.
Meanwhile, North Korea officials have repeatedly claimed the country isn't badly affected by the coronavirus which has infected almost 22 million people and claimed 775,000 lives around the world.
