North Korea's Kim Jong-un labels dog meat a 'superfood'

North Korean media is reporting dog meat has health benefits. Photo / AP

North Korea is encouraging its starving population to eat more dog meat by suggesting it contains more vitamins than chicken, beef, pork and duck.

The country, which is ruled by tyrant Kim Jong-un, is still promoting the dish as a traditional "stamina food".

DPRK Today, a North Korean YouTube propaganda channel, announced that the meat has more vitamins than other animals.

It also suggested that dog meat is good for the stomach and intestines, The Korea Times reports.

Meanwhile, the channel also claimed that in order to increase the taste, the canine must be beaten to death and its fur should be removed before being scorched.

However, in neighbouring South Korea, many animal activists have protested about this practice of butchery.

It comes after a number of media outlets in North Korea have recently published stories about the health benefits of consuming dog meat.

The Korean Central Television (KCTV) featured a story which claimed a reopened dog meat restaurant in Pyongyang is "being successful in making dog meat more unique."

And radio station Tongil Voice described dog stew as the "finest medicine" when describing "dangogi", which translates to dog meat in Korean.

They reported: "There's an old saying that even a slice of dangogi can be good medicine during the dog days."