Pets in North Korea

North Korean sources use 애완동물 for pets kept as companion animals. The term 집짐승 refers more broadly to animals kept by citizens, and published rules do not clearly separate that category from companion pets. The Livestock Law allows citizens to keep animals such as pigs, sheep, goats, rabbits, poultry and dogs, but keeping 집짐승 is prohibited in central urban areas. At the same time, urban pet keeping and a pet shop in Hwasong, Pyongyang, have been documented, so the legal treatment of companion animals remains partly unclear. The 2026 Hwasong-Pyongyang shop reportedly offers animals, accessories, pet food and specialized services. Reports also describe increasing pet ownership in the capital and other local areas, but North Korea has no reliable national ownership statistics or published access and price data. A 2015 survey found pet keeping uncommon at that time and identified feed costs as a major obstacle; that finding should not be treated as a current national prevalence rate. A 2019 Korean Women article about choosing a pet dog provides evidence of a market and selection path, not a nationwide standard. The 중앙농업지도기관 provides unified direction for the veterinary and livestock system. Local 수의방역기관, meaning veterinary disease-control authorities, handle diagnosis, treatment, vaccination, quarantine and related controls. Local People's Committees may set local conditions, but no separately published nationwide pet authority is established. General rules require suitable housing with appropriate temperature, humidity, light, ventilation, food, water and waste disposal. Feeding should match the animal's species and age, and owners must maintain hygiene, disinfect housing or animal areas and cooperate with inspections. The Veterinary Disease Prevention Law provides for prevention, examinations, vaccination plans and quarantine. Suspected disease and animal deaths must be reported, and affected animals must be isolated. Suspected zoonotic disease must also be reported to health authorities. Animals that are incurably ill or pose a serious danger to people or other animals may be killed immediately as a disease-control measure; this is not evidence of a general healthy-pet euthanasia service. Access to veterinary care varies and cannot be quantified reliably. The availability of pet clinics, opening hours, diagnostic equipment and medicines is not documented well enough to promise a service in a particular locality. General veterinary medicines kept at home should be used only according to instructions and veterinary advice, while prescription and dangerous medicines are controlled. Moving, selling or supplying animals without the required certificate is prohibited under the relevant veterinary rules. Violations can lead to closure of an activity, confiscation, compensation claims and administrative or criminal responsibility. International import and export require centrally coordinated veterinary conditions, border quarantine and clearance. Animals that have not been examined or do not meet the conditions cannot pass the border. A Russian foreign-ministry travel notice states that live animals require special permission, an international veterinary certificate and vaccination records. The responsible office, forms, fees and processing times should be confirmed directly before travel because reliable public schedules are unavailable. North Korea has no documented nationwide pet register, microchip system, shelter network, rescue service, adoption process or healthy-pet return system. A pet shop provides sales and services, not a documented rehoming service. Private transfer may occur informally, but it is not an established formal alternative. Reliable figures for purchase prices, feed, veterinary treatment, vaccinations, quarantine duration, shop hours and surrender fees are unavailable, although feed costs have historically limited ownership and authorities announced expanded supplies of pet food, accessories and veterinary medicines in 2026.