"The name is not decided yet... Planned to be raised at the residence"
First Lady Kim Keon-hee is seen holding an Alabai, the national dog of Turkmenistan, at a state banquet held at a hotel in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on the 10th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol and his wife will receive two Alabai dogs, the national dog of Turkmenistan, gifted by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, the supreme leader and Chairman of the People's Council of Turkmenistan, on the 18th. The dogs were presented to the presidential couple on the 11th (local time).
The Presidential Office announced on the 14th that the two Alabai dogs, a male and a female, gifted by the Turkmen supreme leader, will enter South Korea on the 18th after undergoing quarantine procedures.
Upon arrival in Korea, the two Alabai dogs will first be allowed to run freely on the lawn in front of the Yongsan Presidential Office, after which President Yoon and his wife plan to take them to the presidential residence to raise them. Their names have not yet been decided.
With the addition of the two Alabai dogs, the total number of dogs raised by President Yoon and his wife will increase to eight. A Presidential Office official stated, "President Yoon personally raises the dogs he receives as gifts instead of sending them to zoos, so we believe that eight dogs is probably the maximum number he can personally care for."
According to the Presidential Office, as the couple's interest in pets has become widely known, the number of countries introducing or expressing their intention to gift national dogs during President Yoon's state visits has been increasing.
"First Lady Kim Geon-hee's love for animals leads to increased introductions of national dogs"
Supreme Leader Berdimuhamedow, having previously received international messages about the presidential couple's commitment to animal protection, said on the 11th, "I was deeply moved by the president and first lady's love for animals," and gifted the Alabai, Turkmenistan's national dog. The Alabai is a representative shepherd dog of Turkmenistan that has protected families and livestock; it is large and strong and plays an important role in nomadic life.
In October 2017, when he was president, Berdimuhamedow gifted an Alabai puppy to Russian President Vladimir Putin on his birthday.
President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee were introduced to a dog raised by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan in front of a traditional Kazakh portable dwelling called a "yurt" while viewing the special exhibition "The Golden Steppe" in the lobby of the Karlybek Kuanysh Drama Theater at the National Academy in Astana, Kazakhstan, on the afternoon of the 12th (local time). [Image source=Yonhap News]
Notably, during their state visits to three Central Asian countries, President Yoon and his wife received the Alabai in Turkmenistan and were also introduced to the national dog raised by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Kazakhstan.
On the afternoon of the 12th, President Yoon and First Lady Kim Geon-hee enjoyed time with the dog raised by President Tokayev in front of a traditional Kazakh portable dwelling called a "yurt" while visiting the lobby of the Kalybek Kuanysh Drama Theater at the National Academy in Astana, Kazakhstan, during the special exhibition "Golden of the Great Steppe."
A Presidential Office official said, "First Lady Kim's love for animals and respect for life seem to have made a significant impact on the diplomatic stage," adding, "Last year, she met with Dr. Jane Goodall, participated in a Ukrainian children's art exhibition this year, and attended the opening ceremony of the Yongsan Children's Garden Environment and Ecology Center, consistently conveying messages of respect for life."
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