How dogs became Kim Jong Un’s diplomatic and propaganda tool
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s recent visit to a newly built pet shop in Pyongyang has drawn attention not just for its unusual subject, but for what it signals about how animals are increasingly woven into the country’s messaging.
State media photos showed Kim inspecting the Hwasong Pet Shop, part of a large-scale housing development in the capital, alongside his wife and daughter, widely believed to be Kim Ju-ae.
KCNA said the visit was part of efforts to improve living standards and promote a “socialist civilisation.”
During the tour, Kim pointed to a rise in pet ownership in Pyongyang and other areas, and called for expanded production of pet-related goods, including food, grooming tools and veterinary medicines.
He wanted to develop consumer-oriented industries, a notable emphasis in an economy still constrained by international sanctions.
The appearance also offered a rare glimpse of a more domestic, curated image of the North Korean leader — one that contrasts with the state’s usual focus on military capability and strategic strength.
Yet animals, particularly dogs, have long played a role in Kim’s political signalling.
In 2018, following a summit in Pyongyang, Kim gifted two white Pungsan hunting dogs — a breed indigenous to North Korea — to then South Korean president Moon Jae-in. The move was widely seen as a gesture of goodwill during a brief thaw in inter-Korean relations.
The dogs, named Gomi and Songgang, were initially hailed as symbols of reconciliation. However, their fate later reflected the fragility of such diplomacy. In 2022, they were transferred to a South Korean zoo after a dispute over the cost of their upkeep between Moon and the administration of President Yoon Suk Yeol.
More recently, Kim extended a similar gesture to Russian President Vladimir Putin, gifting him a pair of Pungsan dogs in 2024 as ties between Pyongyang and Moscow deepened.
Kim ultimately leverages such gestures to serve dual purposes: reinforcing diplomatic ties while projecting a softer imagery of leadership.
From symbolic gifts to staged public appearances, dogs have become an unlikely but consistent feature of Kim’s political playbook.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
