North Koreans ordered to hand over pet dogs to ‘solve’ the country’s food shortages

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un has declared that pet dogs are a symbol of capitalist "decadence" and ordered that dogs in Pyongyang be rounded up.

Owners of the pet dogs are fearful that their beloved pets are being used to solve the nation's food shortages, reports the Daily Mail.

Kim announced in July that owning a pet is now against the law, denouncing having a dog at home as "a tainted trend of bourgeois ideology".

"Authorities have identified households with pet dogs and are forcing them to give them up or forcefully confiscating them and putting them down," South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported citing sources.

"Some of the dogs are sent to state-run 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 out in South Korea.

Still, an estimated 1 million dogs are reared on farms to be consumed every year in the South.

Man's best friend is still a staple on the menu in the North, however, with a number of dedicated dog restaurants in Pyongyang.

Dog meat is most popular in the hot and humid summer months as it is believed to provide energy and stamina.

Often served in a spicy soup or stew with vegetables, it is also known for raising the 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 as to refuse to comply with the authorities could be interpreted as an act of defiance of a leader who likes to be referred to as the Supreme Dignity.