North Korea gifted a pair of Pungsan breed dogs to mark the inter-Korean summit held in Pyongyang, the presidential office said Sunday.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un offered the male and female dogs to President Moon Jae-in during the historic meeting that took place on Sept. 18-20, Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release, adding that both animals have undergone animal quarantine inspections and were picked up at the truce village of Panmunjom on Thursday.

The presidential office said the dogs are named Songkang and Gomi and were both born in 2017 in Pungsan county in the North.

Songkang, the male dog, was born in November and Gomi, the female, was born in March.

Moon already owns a Pungsan breed dog named Maru, so he will have a total of three pets that can trace their lineage to the North.

North Korea sent a pair of Punsang dogs named Uri and Duri after the first inter-Korean summit in 2000. The dogs were kept at a zoo before they died of natural causes in 2013.

The Pungsan breed originates in a mountainous region of the North. The dogs were bred to hunt tigers and other wild animals. They are known to be agile, clever and ferocious toward beasts, but friendly and loyal to their human masters. They have thick fur, mostly white or light yellow in color, and boast a wide chest, thick neck and strong legs.

Their average height when fully grown ranges from 55-60 centimeters, and average weight stands at around 20-30 kilograms. Along with Jindo dogs, bred from the southern island of Jindo in South Korea, the breed is considered one of the two most prized canine species on the Korean Peninsula. (Yonhap)