Ousted South Korean leader mired in dog row

In what could be a violation of animal protection laws, ousted South Korean leader Park Geun-hye faces accusations of abandoning her nine dogs when she left the presidential palace.

The row comes as Park was called for questioning and named as a suspect in the wide-ranging corruption scandal that eventually led to her downfall, reported BBC on Wednesday.

She was dismissed from her post last week when the constitutional court upheld her impeachment.

The government announced that it will hold the presidential election on May 9 to find a replacement for the ousted leader.

Park is the country's first democratically-elected leader to be ousted.

Over the weekendk, Park left the presidential palace and moved into her house in an affluent district of Seoul.

Her nine Jindo dogs were not among the entourage that accompanied her, according to the report.

The Busan Korea Alliance for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Busan Kapca) said she could have violated animal protection laws by leaving the dogs behind.

The group, along with the Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (Care), claimed she had abandoned her pets, and both organisations offered to find new homes for the dogs.

--IANS

soni/dg