The Canadian
August 17, 2020
Kim Jong-un has declared that domestic
dogs are a symbol of capitalist ‘decadence’ and ordered that dogs in
Pyongyang be detained, and owners fear their beloved pets are being used
to solve the nation’s food shortage.
The dictator Kim announced in July that
keeping a pet is now illegal and denounced that keeping a dog at home is
“a corrupt trend of bourgeois ideology.”
“The authorities have identified homes
with companion dogs and are forcing them to surrender or confiscate them
by force and euthanize them,” a source told South Korean newspaper
Chosun Ilbo.
Kim Jong-un has declared that companion dogs are
a symbol of capitalist ‘decadence’ and ordered that dogs in Pyongyang
be detained.
“Some of the dogs are sent to state zoos or sold to dog meat restaurants.”
Dog meat has long been considered a
delicacy on the Korean peninsula, although the tradition of eating dogs
is gradually fading in South Korea.
Still, an estimated 1 million dogs are raised on farms for consumption each year in the South.
However, man’s best friend remains a staple on the northern menu, with several restaurants dedicated to dogs in Pyongyang.
Dog meat is most popular in the hot, humid summer months as it is believed to provide energy and stamina.
Dog
meat, represented in South Korea, has long been considered a delicacy
on the Korean peninsula, although the tradition of eating dogs is
gradually fading in South Korea.
Often served in a spicy soup or stew with vegetables, it is also known to raise body temperature in the cold winter months.
The Chosun Ilbo reported that pet owners
are ‘cursing Kim Jong-un behind his back’ but there is little they can
do to refuse to comply with the authorities could be interpreted as an
act of defiance of a leader who likes be referred. to as the Supreme
Dignity.
The outlawing of pets will also have come
as a surprise to many Pyongyang middle-class residents, who began
keeping dogs after the regime tried to improve their image in the run-up
to the 1989 World Youth and Student Festival.
Adopted as a symbol of economic
development and sophistication, wealthy families were seen walking their
pets, even appearing on state television soap operas.
Recently, in October 2018, Kim himself
presented a pair of indigenous ‘pungsan’ hunting dogs to Moon Jae-in,
the president of South Korea, as a symbol of the growing detente between
the two nations.
The ‘Peace Cubs’ had a lucky getaway as
their move to the South coincided with a demand that ordinary North
Koreans pay a tax on dog skins, to be turned into coats, to mark the
founding of the Party of the Workers.
An
estimated 1 million dogs are raised on farms for consumption each year
in the South. In the photo, a South Korean farmer eats dog meat during a
demonstration against animal rights activists against the meat trade.
A recent UN report stated that up to 60
percent of North Korea’s 25.5 million people face a “widespread food
shortage” that has been compounded by international sanctions imposed on
the regime for its nuclear programs. and long-range missiles.
The situation has been further aggravated
by the decision to close the border with China due to the coronavirus
pandemic. Beijing is traditionally Pyongyang’s main sponsor and the
source of much of the food needed to feed the Kim people.
North Korea was also hit hard by a series
of natural disasters last year, affecting the harvest, while it has been
badly hit by floods again this month, with crops in key agricultural
regions destroyed.
However, Kim has stated that he and his
people will face the situation, and the young leader told a meeting of
his politburo on Thursday that while the nation has suffered severe
losses from the floods, it should not accept any outside aid due to the
possibility of the spread of the coronavirus.
Dog
meat, represented in South Korea, is most popular in the hot and humid
summer months as it is believed to provide energy and stamina.
Nearly 100,000 acres of farmland were flooded, with nearly 17,000 homes and more than 600 public buildings destroyed.
Since pork and beef are an almost unheard
of luxury for most common people, the slaughter of Pyongyang dogs may be
designed to stave off starvation for months to come.
This comes as severe flooding caused by
monsoon rains has prompted the leader to feed the victims from his own
private grain reserves.
Almost 1,500 acres of rice fields were flooded, as well as 179 housing blocks and 730 one-story houses destroyed.
Kim’s decision to use his reserves has
caught the attention of some diplomats, who describe it as an “SOS
signal to China” for emergency help.
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