SEOUL, July 15, 2008 (AFP) - Officials in the South Korean capital Seoul said they launched their first health inspection of dogmeat restaurants on Tuesday.

City officials said they were taking samples from 15 restaurants to examine whether they contain heavy metals or other harmful substances during the one-week inspection.

'We will launch an extensive, full-scale inspection if the first one reveals serious hygiene problems,' a food safety official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

There are about 530 dog meat restaurants in Seoul but the inspection is not aimed at regulating the selling of dog meat.

'Due to lack of personnel, only five inspectors were out today. We will reinforce our staff later,' the official said.

The city plans to conduct regular inspections, publicise a list of restaurants that serve unhealthy dog meat and suspend their operations.

Such restaurants are technically illegal. To avoid adverse publicity before the 1988 Olympics, the city banned dog meat and snake meat as 'abhorrent food.' But the order is now largely ignored.

There have been no hygiene regulations on the slaughter and trade of dogmeat because dogs are not classed as livestock.

The city government has proposed reclassifying dogs as livestock so it can set food safety standards, sparking angry reactions from animal rights activists.