A notorious dog meat market that serves chilled canine flesh and keeps live animals in cages to slaughter on order is being closed down.

The Gupo dog meat market in Busan, South Korea is one of the largest in the country.

Now, local authorities have reached an agreement with all 19 dog meat sellers at Gupo Livestock Market to shut down their businesses next month.

The agreement is part of an urban planning project to regenerate the area and turn the market into a public park.

Kaya, a mother dog, and her puppies are shown locked inside a green house at a dog meat farm in Namyangju, South Korea

The chilled meat on display at the Gupo dog meat market in Busan, South Korea. The market is now being closed

The closure of Gupo is the latest in a series of crack downs by officials on the dog meat trade.

In November last year, Seongnam city demolished Taepyeong, the country's largest dog slaughterhouse, and closed down most of its related dog meat vendors.

Earlier this year, Seoul mayor, Park Won-soon, vowed to close all dog butcheries in South Korea's capital city after watching an animated about abandoned dogs.

Nara Kim, dog meat campaigner for Humane Society International said: 'We very much welcome the agreement reached to close Gupo market, home to one of the largest dog meat markets in South Korea.

'The closure plan is the result of months of hard work between the local authorities and the market vendors, and both sides are to be commended for working towards this goal that will not only bring to an end to Gupo's dog meat era, but will also see the area regenerated with new amenities and businesses for the benefit of the local, modern economy.

The Gupo dog meat market in Busan, South Korea is one of the largest in the country and has now been closed down

The HSI Animal Rescue Team rescues a dog at a dog meat farm in Namyangju, South Korea

A mother dog and her puppies are shown locked inside a green house at a dog meat farm in Namyangju

'HSI has been working with dog meat farmers in South Korea for nearly four years helping them close their flagging businesses as more people in the county turn away from dog meat, so the closure of Gupo's grimly iconic dog market, which follows the demolition last year of the country's largest dog slaughterhouse complex, is a sign of more compassionate times.

'This is the latest crack down on an increasingly unpopular dog meat trade, and we hope that it inspires further closures in future where dogs also suffer for the meat trade, such as Chilsung market in Daegu.'

Close to 2 million dogs a year are reared on thousands of dog meat farms across South Korea, the only country known to farm dogs for human consumption.

All across Asia, an estimated 30 million dogs are killed and eaten each year, mainly stolen pets and street dogs.

Close to 2 million dogs a year are reared on thousands of dog meat farms across South Korea, the only country known to farm dogs for human consumption

The notorious dog meat market in Busan serves chilled canine flesh and keeps live animals in cages to slaughter on order

The dogs liver their whole lives on dog farms before being slaughtered.

Death by electrocution is most common, with dogs usually taking up to five minutes to die.

There have even been instances of dogs taking up to 20 minutes to die and hanging is also practiced.

The animals are killed in full view of other dogs.

Most people in the country don't regularly eat dog but it remains popular during July and August, when it is eaten as a soup called bosintang.

Lola Webber, Campaign Manager for South Korea of HSI, greets Kaya at a dog meat farm in Namyangju

Nara Kim, Campaign Manager in South Korea of HSI, cuddles George at a dog meat farm in Namyangju

Adam Parascandola, left, Director of Animal Protection and Crisis Response of HSI, and Lola Webber, right, Campaign Manager for South Korea of HSI, rescue Caroline at a dog meat farm

The closure of Gupo is the latest in a series of crack downs by officials on the dog meat trade

Some believe that the soup improves stamina and virility.

A South Korean court ruled last June that killing dogs for meat is illegal, in a landmark decision which animal rights activists said could pave the way to outlawing eating canines.

The meat has long been a part of South Korean cuisine, with about one million dogs eaten a year.

Consumption has declined in South Korea with the practice now something of a taboo among younger generations and pressure from activists mounting.

A survey in 2017 found that 70 per cent of South Koreans do not eat dogs, but only about 40 per cent believe the practice should be banned.