Dubbing it as a symbol of Western "decadence," North Korean leader Kim Jong Un released an order to end dog owning in the nation's capital Pyongyang, directing authorities to confiscate pets from their owners.

According to Fox News, the directive to round up the pets was given by the dictator back in July. This is after Kim claimed that owning pets was a trend tainted by bourgeois ideology.

The source was also quoted explaining the resentment of the regime to dogs saying that while ordinary people raise livestock and pigs, the wealthy people and high ranking officials have the luxury of owning dogs.

In addition, it was reported that households with pets have already been identified by authorities. The said households are being forced to give up their pets and some are being confiscated forcefully, while some are put down.

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Western Decadence or Answer to Food Shortage?

However, despite the regime's claims that the move taken by Kim is to end the extravagance in the capital, people fear that their pets are going to end up on people's dinner tables. This is due to the current food shortage that the Hermit Kingdom is facing. It is also not unknown that the country has a reputation for eating dog meat and that the directive came just as the regime is struggling to feed the masses.

In a report by Daily Mail, it was stated that based on a recent report from the United Nations (UN), food shortage is being experienced by at least 60% of the North's 25.5 million citizens. The current situation is brought by the withdrawal of aid from overseas to the rogue nation due to their nuclear program.

In addition, they are also very much affected after they closed their borders with China amid the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the recent natural disasters have destroyed their crops causing a nationwide food crisis.

Despite the crisis faced by his nation, Kim Jong Un has announced that they will not be accepting aid from outside the country and that they will brave this crisis.

As of the moment, around 17,000 homes, 600 public buildings, and 100,000 farmlands have been destroyed by the flooding in the North. And with pork and beef already becoming a luxury, dog owners fear that their pets may be served to feed the starving citizens.

In the Korean Peninsula, dog meat has long been considered a delicacy. However, despite the fact that it is already a fading tradition in the South, dog meat is still considered a staple on the North Korean Menu.

Meanwhile, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo stated in a report that owners of the confiscated pets are secretly cursing the dictator but cannot do anything about it since defiance of Kim's orders in the North are punishable.

In response to the continuing shortage of food, the Kim regime has already resorted to drastic measures to feed the citizens including ordering grains from the dictator's personal reserve which is reportedly only used in times of war.

Related article: Kim Jong Un Orders Distribution of Grains from Private Reserve, Sparking Theories of Emergency in North Korea