bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Park Chan-kyong

The Russian embassy in Pyongyang has denied a news report from Seoul that North Koreans are being forced to give up their pet dogs to be cooked in restaurants.
South Korea’s largest circulation newspaper Chosun reported this month that leader Kim Jong-un had banned pet ownership, denouncing it as “a tainted trend” of “bourgeois ideology”.
Pet dogs, a preserve of Pyongyang’s wealthy elites, were seen by North Korean authorities as a symbol of capitalist “decadence”, said the newspaper.
“Authorities have identified households with pet dogs and are forcing them to give them up or forcefully confiscating them and putting them down,” the newspaper claimed, citing an unidentified source.
South Korea hopes to cull its dog meat trade, but the tradition will linger
It said the moves were linked to chronic food shortages in the impoverished country and that some of the dogs were being sent to state-run zoos or sold to dog meat restaurants.
The report, written by a former North Korean defector, was picked up by multiple news outlets including in Britain.
However, the Russian embassy accused foreign media of spreading “wild” rumours that were “far from the truth”.

It said keeping pets had become fashionable in the city and that it had become common to see dogs “walking with their owners on the streets of Pyongyang and other Korean cities”. Breeding dogs had been encouraged, it added, after Kim identified it as a sign of a modern society.
However, it acknowledged that embassy officials had recently been told not to let their pets out of the car when they went for walks in the park, but said this was due to stricter rules aimed at limited the spread of the coronavirus.
A delicacy
Dog meat has traditionally been consumed in Korea as a speciality summer dish to beat the heat.
The practice is in sharp decline in the prosperous South, where keeping pets has become a part of normal life.
But it is still popular in the North, where dog is served as a delicacy at “dangogi” (sweat meat) restaurants in Pyongyang.
In Indonesia, some cash-strapped residents are selling pet dogs as food
Food shortages in the North are thought to have worsened due to recent crop failures caused by flooding, coronavirus distancing measures, and as a result of international sanctions over the country’s nuclear programme.
Dog meat dishes are popular choices for people taking part in the culinary competitions that take place in Pyongyang every summer.
Meanwhile, state-controlled media promote its health benefits, claiming it promotes intestinal health and has superior nutritional value to chicken, pork, beef or duck.


Republican-backed bill to limit Chinese property ownership gains ground in Texas

South Korean border town fights North Korea’s sinister sound assault with noise map

South Korean presidential hopeful pushes for Trump-Kim talks as North Korea fires missiles

Trump urged to take slow and steady approach to North Korea to end nuclear stalemate

North Korea

North Koreans eating pet dogs story is of questionable pedigree: Russia

Live dogs on sale in North Korea. File photo

Food are served on a table during the lunch time at Pyongyang House of Sweet Meat, a restaurant specialized in dishes made of dog meat, in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Euphemistically known as "dangogi," or sweet meat, dog has long been believed to be a stamina food in North and South Korea and is traditionally eaten during the hottest time of the year, giving a sad twist to old saying "dog days of summer." (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

In Indonesia, some cash-strapped residents are selling pet dogs as food

As the coronavirus pandemic hits incomes, some dog owners are selling their pets to the dog meat trade. Photo: Handout

A dog sunbathing on a quiet beach in Denpasar, Bali, on 16 October 2002. Hundreds of injured and traumatised tourists were flown out of the beach resort of Bali as Indonesia faced growing pressure to crack down on Islamic militants suspected of involvement in a car bomb attack which left more than 180 people dead.

This picture taken on June 30, 2020 shows Indonesian doctor Susana Somali smiling with dogs at her rescue shelter in Jakarta. - The sprawling complex, home to some 1,400 canines, has become a desperate refuge for at-risk animals during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as cash-strapped owners increasingly abandon pets or sell them into the Southeast Asian nation's controversial dog meat trade. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP) / TO GO WITH Health-virus-Indonesia-animal,FOCUS by Haeril HALIM

This picture taken on June 30, 2020 shows Indonesian doctor Susana Somali surrounded by dogs at her rescue shelter in Jakarta. - The sprawling complex, home to some 1,400 canines, has become a desperate refuge for at-risk animals during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, as cash-strapped owners increasingly abandon pets or sell them into the Southeast Asian nation's controversial dog meat trade. (Photo by ADEK BERRY / AFP) / TO GO WITH Health-virus-Indonesia-animal,FOCUS by Haeril HALIM

Indonesian doctor Susana Somali sits with dogs at her rescue shelter in Jakarta. Photo: AFP

In North Korea, consumption of dog meat soars during hottest months

Dog meat served at House of Sweet Meat in Pyongyang. Photo: AP

A waitress shows dishes made of dog meat at at Pyongyang House of Sweet Meat, a dog specialty restaurant in Pyongyang, North Korea, Wednesday, July 25, 2018. Euphemistically known as "dangogi," or sweet meat, dog has long been believed to be a stamina food in North and South Korea and is traditionally eaten during the hottest time of the year, giving a sad twist to old saying "dog days of summer." (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

Dog medicine goes viral in South Korea over claims it cures human cancer

A sick dog. File photo: SCMP

Fenbendazole is a parasite-killing drug for dogs and cats. Photo: Park Chan-kyong

An animal hospital in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Park Chan-kyong

Asia’s booming dog meat business and the activists seeking to end a cruel trade

Millions of dogs are slaughtered every year in countries including China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Japan. Photo: World Dog Alliance

About half a million dogs are smuggled into Vietnam from Thailand every year, which prompted the Thai navy to set up special patrols to stem the illegal flow.

Shanghai-born Peng Hong-ling, better known as Genlin, set up WDA in 2014 to fight for a global ban of dog meat consumption. Across Asia, eating dog meat is unashamedly common. In total some 30 million dogs are slaughtered every year in countries including China, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Japan.

This Week in Asia

Lifestyle & Culture

News

Asia

East Asia

World

Russia & Central Asia


Seoul newspaper claimed Kim Jong-un had forced North Koreans to give up their pets and sell them to dog meat restaurants to beat food shortages
But Russian embassy in Pyongyang suggests this may be little more than a shaggy-dog story



Seoul newspaper claims Kim is forcing North Koreans to sell pets to restaurants to beat food shortages. Russia says it’s a shaggy-dog story.


North Koreans eating pet dogs story is of questionable pedigree: Russia

Seoul newspaper claimed Kim Jong-un had forced North Koreans to give up their pets and sell them to dog meat restaurants to beat food shortages But Russian embassy in Pyongyang suggests this may be little more than a shaggy-dog story

Seoul newspaper claimed Kim Jong-un had forced North Koreans to give up their pets and sell them to dog meat restaurants to beat food shortages

But Russian embassy in Pyongyang suggests this may be little more than a shaggy-dog story