Animal rights activists in South Korea have held a rally in the capital Seoul to protest against the custom of eating dog meat.

Protesters burnt pictures of two South Korean legislators who have led a campaign to legalise the practice.

The demonstration was organised to counter moves by restaurant owners who on Friday launched a national federation to protect the eating of dog meat.

Defenders of the custom say eating dogs is part of Korea's culture, just as pigeons and snails are eaten in some Western countries.

The several dozen protesters chanted "Stop abusing animals" and displayed pictures of skinned dogs at the rally in a Seoul park.

Dogs are specially bred in South Korea to be eaten - notably in "poshintang", which literally means "body preservation stew".

Afficionados say it is good for health, and some consider it a delicacy.

Foreign activists have criticised the illegal way in which some dogs are killed to make the meat more tender - by beating, burning or hanging. Such methods are now officially banned. (As is the practice of eating dog meat itself! - ITD)

It is estimated that only 16% of dogs in South Korea are bred as pets.

The issue of eating dog meat has come to a head in the run-up to the World Cup football tournament in May.

In November, FIFA President Sepp Blatter urged South Koreans to stop eating dog meat during the World Cup.

The practice has also been denounced by the French actress turned animal rights activist, Brigitte Bardot.

South Korea banned dog restaurants during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, invoking a law prohibiting the sale of foods deemed unsightly.

Dozens of members of the South Korean parliament have introduced legislation to formally legalise dog meat. But the majority of MPs do not support it and it seems unlikely to become law.

Local dog meat restaurant owners yesterday resolved to officially come out into the open to promote Korea's canine cuisine to the international community.

About 100 restaurant owners inaugurated the tentatively titled "National Dog Meat Restaurants Association," at the Korea Women's Mission Center in Seoul.

"We decided to gather together to fight against government crackdowns and foreign criticism of the consumption of dog meat, which has long been a tradition in Korea," they declared in a statement.

The owners said they will work toward improving the international understanding of dog meat consumption by operating a related Internet website in English and Japanese, and offer detailed information on local restaurants where the cuisine is available.

Moreover, they will launch efforts for legitimizing the consumption of dog meat while making sure the entire procedure of breeding, distributing and processing of local dogs is carried out in a sanitary, scientific and effective way, the owners said.

The inauguration ceremony had originally been planned for Jan. 14, but was called off when KT, the owner of the intended meeting place in Ilsan, north of Seoul, abruptly sent word it could not provide the venue.

Officials at the state-owned telephone giant had said it had been flooded with complaints from local animal lovers, with some even threatening to launch boycott campaigns against KT if it agreed to host the dog meat association.

"Our dog-eating practice has always become an issue of concern ahead of international events, dealing a severe blow to the thousands of dog meat restaurant owners in the country, " said Choi Han-kwon, the main organizer of the association.

"Rather than covering up the issue, it is time for us to openly promote the positive aspects of our culinary culture," he said.

Besides the ceremony yesterday, Professor Ann Yong-geun of the department of food nutrition at Chungcheong College gave a lecture on the future direction of dog meat consumption.