The former president of South Korea says he is going to give up dogs that were gifted to him by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The South Korean government refuses to pay for the upkeep of the two white Pungsan dogs, which were gifted to Moon Jae-in by Kim during a summit in Pyongyang, North Korea, in September 2018.
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“The presidential office seems to be negative toward entrusting the management of the Pungsan dogs to former President Moon,” Moon’s office said in a statement on Facebook. “If that’s the case, we can be cool about it, as such an entrustment is based on the goodwill of both sides … though ending it is regretful given they are companion animals he grew attached to.”
The dogs are legally the property of the country’s presidential archives, but they were entrusted to Moon’s care after he left office in May.
Agencies are still discussing a way forward for the dogs to be cared for, the office of President Yoon Suk-yeol told Reuters.
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Relations between South Korea and North Korea have gotten tense recently, with the North reportedly being close to conducting a nuclear test.
