Doggie diplomacy: Kim gifts pair of N. Korean pooches to S. Korea’s Moon (PHOTOS)
Two white indigenous hunting dogs from North Korea arrived in the South as a gift from Kim Jong-un to his counterpart Moon Jae-in. The present comes as the two countries are attempting to mend their relations.
Pictures of the two canines of Pungsan breed were published by the Blue House on Sunday. The dogs – male Songkang and female Gomi – were offered to Moon during the inter-Korean meeting in Pyongyang earlier this month.
<곰이와 송강이를 소개합니다>평양에서 열린 2018 남북정상회담 당시 북측은 풍산개 암수 한 쌍을 선물로 전달했습니다. 개들은 동물검역 절차를 진행한 후 지난 주 목요일인 9월 27일에 청와대에 왔습니다. 풍산개는 북한 천연기념물 제368호로 주인을 잘 따르며 용맹한 성격으로 알려져 있습니다. pic.twitter.com/wxOib9APCI
— 대한민국 청와대 (@TheBlueHouseKR) 30 сентября 2018 г.
The new pets were picked up at the truce village of Panmunjom, the place of the historic April inter-Korean summit, with three kilograms of food to help them settle in on Thursday.
Moon is known dog-lover, he already has a pooch of the same breed named Maru and an adopted shelter dog Tori, saved from an owner who abused and even ate lost canines.
Following the three day inter-Korean summit, where Pyongyang vowed to allow international monitors to witness the dismantling of the North’s test sites and the Koreas’ military agreed to establish a “joint military committee,” Kim sent Moon some highly-prized and notoriously difficult to grow pine mushrooms, valued at $2.6 million.
READ MORE: Kim Jong Un lavishes 2 tons of prized mushrooms on S. Korea as peace token
Kim’s father, Kim Jong-il, made a similar friendly gesture back in 2000, when he gave two Pungsan dogs to then-southern counterpart Kim Dae-jung. The dogs were kept at the Seoul zoo and even received “state guest” status, that ensured them a special treatment and a spacious living place.
Back then Seoul returned the favor, giving the North very similar looking Jindo dogs.
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