'Animal Farm' Surprise Appearance by Yoon Couple: "We Are Saerom's Dad and Mom"

Yoon "I am the father of retired guide dog Saerom"
Mrs. Kim "Had a child, lost it, then started adoption"

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Geon-hee made a surprise appearance on SBS's 'TV Animal Farm,' revealing the retired guide dog 'Saerom-i,' whom they adopted last December, living at the presidential residence in Hannam-dong, Seoul. Through the broadcast, the Yoon couple also delivered the message to viewers, "Please adopt, don't buy."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee made a surprise appearance on SBS's "TV Animal Farm."
[Photo by SBS "TV Animal Farm"]

'TV Animal Farm' featured the life of a guide dog for the visually impaired in that day's episode, introducing Saerom-i, the pet dog playing in the yard of the presidential residence with the Yoon couple. President Yoon greeted, "Hello, I am Yoon Suk-yeol, Saerom-i's dad, and also the dad of Mari, Sunny, and Tori," and Mrs. Kim said, "I am Kim Geon-hee, the mother of the children."

Saerom-i, a Labrador Retriever born in 2013, is a retired guide dog who lived with Kim Han-sook, a visually impaired person, for over six years. President Yoon explained the background of adopting Saerom-i: "During my candidacy, I visited a guide dog school in Yongin and said, 'If I win and move to a residence with a yard, I definitely want to raise a retired guide dog.' On Christmas last year, we adopted Saerom-i into our family."

The Yoon couple lives with a total of 11 pets, including five dogs (Tori, Narae, Mari, Sunny, Ollie) and five cats (Agengi, Nabi, Norangi, Kiwi, Hayangi), in addition to Saerom-i. When asked why they have so many pets, President Yoon trailed off, saying, "Well, not for any particular reason," but Mrs. Kim shared, "Actually, I should explain this. After we lost a child, he was psychologically very distressed, but after adopting a stray dog, he was very happy and, thinking about feeding the children, he momentarily forgot that pain."

President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife Kim Keon-hee are resting with Sunny and retired guide dog Saerom (left) after completing the commemorative tree planting ceremony for the opening of the Yongsan Children's Garden in the front yard of the Yongsan Presidential Office in Seoul on the 4th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon continued, "There are many dogs serving special purposes, and since they have served the nation and society, it seems right that the state and society bear part of the treatment costs when they need care," adding, "That makes it easier to adopt and accompany them." When asked if there would be any policies during his term, he replied, "I will try."