PYONGYANG, June 20, 2024 (BSS/TASS) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has given Russian President Vladimir Putin two rare Pungsan breed hunting dogs as a present, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

"Comrade Kim Jong Un, at the Geumsusan garden where the honored guests are staying, presented President Putin with a pair of Pungsan dogs, which is our country's national dog breed," the report said. The Pungsan is an extremely rare dog breed, largely unknown outside North Korea.

The Pungsan dog breed is loyal to its owner and vicious when attacked. In case of a threat, they "attack and bite the victim in the throat." "The breed is considered a possible ancestor of the famous Japanese Akita and Shiba Inu breeds," Cho Il-kyung, head of the Korean National Heritage Preservation Agency's department, previously stated.

According to him, the North Korean people see this dog as "a companion," and not just a pet. Today, it has become "one of the state symbols of North Korea," its national dog, Cho Il-kyung added.

The Pungsan's torso is "small compared to other dogs in the West," but it is "very intelligent, agile and persistent," he noted. "Dogs, when fighting an opponent, usually gnaw into the other's neck. But this dog pounces on him in one fell swoop and gnaws into his throat. Thus, the Pungsan mirrors the values of the Korean nation, which hates injustice, cherishes moral duty and is ruthless toward those who dare provoke it," the Naenara website quoted Cho Il-kyung as saying.

Putin gratefully accepted the two hunting dogs. Names for the pets have not yet been chosen, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS.

"They have not been named yet. [The president] accepted the gift with gratitude," he said.