South Korea's ousted president has angered animal lovers by leaving her nine pet dogs behind when she left her official residence.

Park Geun-hye, who was removed from office last week by the country's Constitutional Court over a massive corruption scandal, is accused of abandoning the animals for not bringing them with her.

Ms Park was given a pair of Jindo dogs, a Korean breed of hunting dogs, when she became president in 2013.

A spokesman for the Blue House, the presidential residence, said the dogs had recently given birth to seven puppies, which are considered too young to be separated from their mother and will stay there until they can be sent to new owners.

That's what happened in 2015, when Ms Park's two adult dogs had five puppies which were sent to civilian owners.


Image: South Korea's former president Park Geun-hye's pet dogs seen in 2015

Ms Park told staff members to take good care of the dogs before leaving the Blue House on Sunday, the spokesman added, but that was not enough to prevent a fierce backlash.

The Korea Alliance for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals complained to the country's Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, which in turn asked the National Police Agency to investigate.

Public reaction was also vitriolic. "It seems that Park Geun-hye is a person who entirely lacks empathy, whether it's for humans or for animals," Park Jeong-eon, a 38-year-old office worker who is unrelated to the ousted president, said.

The unpopular politician may not have legally abandoned them, as South Korea's animal protection law defines lost or abandoned animals as those "wandering without an owner in public places" or "left deserted in paper boxes or other containers."

But, if found guilty, she could be fined up to 1m won (£716) for abandoning them, and up to half as much again if she does not report a change in ownership within 30 days.

It comes as Ms Park was called for questioning and named as a suspect in the wide-ranging corruption scandal that eventually led to her downfall.

She was dismissed from her post last week when the Constitutional Court upheld her impeachment, sparking clashes that led to two people being killed.