North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has demanded that all pet dogs be rounded up as he says pet ownership represents western and capitalist decadence. However, many believe that increasing food shortages are the reason that the dogs are being confiscated. As pet dogs consume meat, this means a lower supply of meat for human consumption when times are hard.
This is not an unknown phenomenon during war-time or time of crisis when food is expected to be scarce. Prior to World War II in Britain, hundreds of thousands of pet dogs and cats were euthanised to stop food being wasted upon them.
There have also been suggestions that the dogs may themselves be turned into food. Dog meat is considered a delicacy in some parts of the far-East, though it has been significantly declining in popularity over time, particularly amongst the young.
A source reported the news of the pet seizures to South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper. The source said:
"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 sent to state-run zoos or sold to dog meat restaurants."
The New York Post also stated that:
"While the oppressive regime says the move is to clamp down on capitalist extravagance in Pyongyang, the dog owners are fearful that given North Korea's food shortage — and propensity for eating dog meat — the directive has only come about to feed the masses."
North Korea is experiencing an uptick in food insecurity following the closure of its border with China, its main trading partner, as a result of the CoVid-19 outbreak. Similarly, North Korea has experienced lockdown just like any other nation and economic output is believed to have fallen significantly.
The country is not unfamiliar with food insecurity and famine. Between 1994 and 1999, the country experienced between 250,000 and 2 million deaths from famine following the collapse of the Soviet Union and harsh droughts. The United Nations Food Program estimates some 10 million North Koreans, some 40% of the population, are underfed.
With little food-aid being able to now enter the country, the situation is only expected to get worse.
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