Pungsan Dog

The Pungsan dog is a hunting dog from Korea, named after the former Pungsan County, now Kimhyonggwon County, in what is today North Korea. It was bred in the Kaema highlands and traditionally used for hunting. It is a rare breed.

History

The Pungsan was bred for a long time in isolation from other provinces. According to the Encyclopedia of Korean Culture, it was first recognised as a national symbol on the Korean peninsula during the Japanese colonial period. It was also used in Russia to hunt tigers, bears and boars. North Korea made it a national monument in April 1956 and its national dog in 2014. The dogs are sometimes smuggled across the border into China, and shows are held specifically for the breed.

Pungsan dogs have twice been diplomatic gifts. At the 2000 inter-Korean summit Kim Jong-il gave two to the South Korean president Kim Dae-jung, who gave two Jindo dogs in return. The pair, renamed Uri and Duri, lived at the Blue House and then at the Seoul Zoo, where they had 15 puppies and both died at the age of 13. At the Pyongyang summit in 2018 Kim Jong-un gave two to President Moon Jae-in; the female, Gomi, had six puppies within two months.

International kennel clubs do not recognise the breed. According to NK News, they regard it as little more than a local spitz-type variant.

Appearance

Males stand 60–65 cm and females 50–60 cm, and the dogs weigh 20–30 kg. Raised in mountain country, the Pungsan has great physical endurance and high resistance to cold and disease.

Temperament

An old saying holds that three Pungsan dogs released together can catch a tiger. The claim is surely exaggerated, but it reflects the breed’s reputation for toughness and courage. What made it valuable to hunters was tenacity more than fighting power: it would hold prey at bay and wait patiently for the hunter to arrive.

Away from the hunt the Pungsan is described as gentle, well mannered and loyal to its owner. It is said to bark or fight rarely without cause and not to attack weaker animals recklessly.

Facts on this page were checked against Wikipedia and may have changed since.