SEAToday.com, Pyongyang-The North Korean government announced new regulations regarding the prohibition for its citizens to keep dogs as pets. According to a report from Daily Mail UK on Thursday (3/14), the ban was spread by the Socialist Women's Union of Korea, according to a source in South Pyongan Province.

"Treating a dog as a family member, who eats and sleeps with the family, is incompatible with the socialist lifestyle and should be strictly avoided," the source said.

The North Korean government also condemned the act of its citizens dressing up dogs in human-like clothing as a bourgeois activity that wastes money. The regulation emphasizes that dogs should only be kept for their fur or meat to be eaten.

The practice of keeping dogs as pets date back to the early 2000s in North Korea when they were usually used as guard dogs.

They say: 'There have always been families with cats to catch mice, but not many families with dogs.

"However, the number is gradually increasing, and recently there has been a marked increase in foreign dog breeds such as Pomeranian and Shih Tzu, which used to be a rare sight in North Korea.

Although dog meat is eaten in both Koreas, it is controversial in South Korea and the Seoul government passed a law in January banning its production and sale.

Dog meat soup known as Dangogiguk is sometimes served to foreign visitors in North Korea. (AQILLA/DKD)