Doggy diplomacy: South Korea unveils newborn Northern pups

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife have been pictured cuddling a litter of puppies whelped by one of the dogs given to them by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as a symbol of the strengthening ties between the two countries.

Images released on Sunday, November 25, show the couple smiling as they sit on the ground outside their residence in Seoul surrounded by the 6 pups and their mother Gomi.

Kim sent Moon a pair of indigenous North Korean hunting dogs following their meeting in Pyongyang in September  as a token of their rapidly blossoming friendship.

“Meet the newborn puppies of Gomi, one of the Pungsan dogs from North Korea,” Moon’s office tweeted on Sunday.

It posted two pictures of the dogs, one of them showing 5 furry white pups cuddled on Moon’s lap with the sixth in the first lady’s arms, with Gomi by their side in the courtyard of the presidential residence.

11월 9일에 태어난 ‘곰이’의 새끼들입니다. 엄마개와 여섯 새끼들 모두 아주 건강합니다. 사진은 오늘 오후에 문재인 대통령과 김정숙 여사가 관저 앞마당에서 곰이와 새끼들을 살피는 모습입니다. pic.twitter.com/pkP6KpgRZJ

— 대한민국 청와대 (@TheBlueHouseKR) November 25, 2018

Both the mother and the puppies – 3 males and 3 females born on November 9 – were “very healthy”, the presidential office said.

Known for loyalty and intelligence, the Pungsan breed – a hunting dog with a thick, creamy white coat, pointy ears and hazel eyes – is originally from an area of the same name in the North.

“As the pregnancy period of dogs is about two months, Gomi must have been pregnant when she came to us,” Moon tweeted when the puppies were born, adding: “I hope inter-Korean ties will also be like this.”

Moon is a known animal lover who has 4 dogs – the two canines gifted by Kim, another Pungsan dog Maru, and a black mutt named Tory he adopted after taking office – plus a former shelter cat called Jjing-Jjing. – Rappler.com