North Korean 'peace gift' dog has six puppies
The six Pungsan puppies were born to Gomi, who was a gift to the South Korean president from Kim Jong Un earlier this year.
Monday 26 November 2018 03:35, UK
South Korea's president has revealed the first pictures of puppies born to a "peace gift" dog given to him by North Korea.
The six puppies - three male and three female - were born earlier this month and the official Twitter account for South Korea's presidential Blue House said they were all "very healthy".
The dog, Gomi, was one of two Pungsan dogs given to Moon Jae In as a gift from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in September as a gesture of peace between the two sides.
The breed is quite rare and is native to the mountainous northern region of North Korea.
They are best known for loyalty and courage and are used to spending many hours hunting outdoors.
Mr Moon has met Mr Kim three times this year and also played a major role in encouraging Mr Kim to meet with US president Donald Trump.
North Korea also sent a pair of Punsang dogs after the first inter-Korean summit in 2000.
The dogs were kept at a zoo before they died of natural causes in 2013.
During the same summit, South Korea gave the North two indigenous Jindo dogs.
But, despite the growing goodwill between the two countries, there have been no major breakthrough in efforts to get North Korea to end its nuclear programme.