'Pungsangae Return' Criticized by Ruling Party Lawmakers to Moon: "Give It Back to Kim Jong-un" (Summary)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Criticism from ruling party lawmakers continued after former President Moon Jae-in's side announced that they would return the Pungsan dogs 'Gomi' and 'Songgangi,' which were gifts from Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party, during the third inter-Korean summit in 2018, to the Presidential Archives.

On the 7th, Heo Eun-ah, a member of the People Power Party, wrote on her social network service (SNS), "When it was a precious gift, you took them, but now you are giving them up using economic burden as an excuse. It is regrettable how former President Moon perceives and treats his companion dogs," adding, "Pets are not beings to be taken and abandoned based on emotions like that."

Another member of the same party, Kwon Seong-dong, also stated on SNS, "Former President Moon's side cited 'legal deficiencies' related to presidential records as the reason for the return, but this is inconsistent," and raised his voice, saying, "If the law was insufficient, they should not have taken the dogs in the first place, and if they did, they should not have shamelessly demanded tax support."

He said, "No matter what excuse is made, the essence does not change. In the end, isn't it that they want to give up the dogs because they cannot receive tax support for food and caretaker costs?"

Kim Ki-hyun, considered one of the next party leadership candidates, said, "They said to take the three Pungsan dogs back to the government, but the address is wrong. Shouldn't they be told to take them back to Kim Jong-un, not the government?" "Former President Moon used the Pungsan dogs for a North Korea peace show, and now that purpose has been discarded, he is passing the cost of feeding them onto taxpayers, unwilling to even cover the food expenses himself, effectively 'using and discarding' the dogs."

Jo Su-jin also indirectly criticized the situation by posting a captured article on SNS showing former President Moon's 2017 statement that he personally covered the food expenses for dogs and cats.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.