Kim Dae-gi on Pungsan Dog Controversy: "As a Senior of the Nation, I Trust They Will Handle It Well"

"Did the Presidential Office Oppose the Enforcement Decree Revision?" Kim Chief Says, "Consulting with Ministries... Good Results Expected"

Kim Dae-gi, Chief of Staff to the President, is attending the National Assembly's audit on the Presidential Secretariat held on the 8th and is reporting on duties. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Bae Kyunghwan] Kim Dae-gi, Chief of Staff to the President, stated on the 8th regarding former President Moon Jae-in's 'Pungsan dog return' controversy, "Since he is an elder of the nation, I believe he will handle it well." Kim refrained from making a specific statement, saying, "We are in consultation with the relevant ministries, so I expect a good outcome."

On the same day, during the National Assembly's National Assembly Steering Committee's audit of the Presidential Secretariat, Kim responded to a question from Jo Eun-hee, a member of the People Power Party, who asked, "Isn't the Pungsan dog, which was a gift from Chairman Kim Jong-un, effectively being given up? Did the Presidential Office oppose the revision of the enforcement decree?"

Earlier, the former President Moon's side announced that they would return the two Pungsan dogs to the Presidential Archives, claiming that although the Presidential Archives and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety promised to revise the enforcement decree of the Presidential Records Management Act to establish explicit legal grounds, the Presidential Office raised objections, preventing the revision bill from being submitted to the Cabinet meeting.

When Rep. Jo asked, "Are you saying the Presidential Office did not oppose the revision of the enforcement decree?" Kim replied, "The Ministry of Government Legislation gave an opinion that the legal grounds for the delegation regulations should be comprehensively reviewed, but I understand they have not reviewed it at all."

The 'Pungsan dog return' issue also caused a commotion. When Rep. Jo criticized former President Moon's demand for the return of the Pungsan dogs by saying, "Even though the presidential courtesy subsidy was raised to 400 million won and he receives a monthly pension exceeding 13.9 million won, he is supported with 2.42 million won monthly to raise three Pungsan dogs, and if not supported, he is told to take them back," members of the Democratic Party protested.

Earlier, the Presidential Office stated, "The enforcement decree in question falls under the jurisdiction of the Presidential Archives, and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Government Legislation are still in consultation. The revision of the enforcement decree has not been completely abandoned. Moreover, returning the Pungsan dogs to the Presidential Archives without waiting for the enforcement decree to be drafted was a decision made by former President Moon's side and is currently unrelated to the Presidential Office."

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