A gift from Kim Jong

Songkang and Gomi. / Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae

By Park Si-soo

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un presented South Korean President Moon Jae-in with two well-bred Pungsan dogs to mark the leaders' latest meeting in Pyongyang last month, the presidential office said Sunday.

The animals, named Songkang and Gomi, recently cleared quarantine and are living at the presidential residence, according to Cheong Wa Dae. The dogs were born in 2017. Moon already owns a Pungsan dog named Maru, so he will have three pets that can trace their lineage to the North.

Songkang.

Gomi.

The Pungsan breed originated in a mountainous region of the North. The dogs, bred to hunt tigers and other wild animals, are agile, clever and ferocious toward beasts, but friendly and loyal to their human masters. They have thick fur, mostly white or light yellow, a wide chest, thick neck and strong legs.

Their average height when fully grown ranges from 55-60 centimeters, and their average weight stands at around 20-30 kilograms. Along with Jindo dogs, from the southern island of Jindo in South Korea, the breed is one of the two most prized canine species on the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea sent a pair of Punsang dogs named Uri and Duri after the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. The dogs were kept at a zoo until they died of natural causes in 2013.