North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gave him a pair of Pungsan dogs, which President Moon Jae-in should retain, according to President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, who recommended it on Wednesday.

The canines, called Gomi and Songang, were given to Kim by the North Korean leader during the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit as a symbol of peace on the Korean peninsula. In a statement issued hours earlier, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae acknowledged that the dogs are state property, as the presents were intended for the president of South Korea rather than Moon personally.

"If (Moon) were to give over the dogs to me, I would do all in my power to look after them... "However, from the standpoint of the animals themselves, I believe it would be preferable for them to be with someone who has been caring for them from the beginning," Yoon added.

According to the Public Service Ethics Act, gifts received by a public official — even the president — that are relevant to his or her position are considered to be gifts from the state. Due to the fact that Gomi and Songang are living beings, it is not possible for them to be stored in the Presidential Archives, where they would otherwise be.

The Pungsan dog is a hunting dog breed native to the Korean Peninsula that is also the national dog of North Korea. It is a member of the Canis familiaris family. During their inter-Korean Summit in 2000, former North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the late father of the current leader, also presented a pair of Pungsan dogs to former South Korean leader Kim Dae-jung, who died in 2011.