[1/2] South Korean President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook hold puppies born from a hunting dog gifted from North Korea, in Seoul, South Korea November 25, 2018 in this image obtained November 27, 2018 from South Korean Presidential Office/Handout/via REUTERSSEOUL, Nov 7 (Reuters) - South Korea's former President Moon Jae-in said on Monday he plans to give up a pair of dogs sent by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a gift following their 2018 summit, citing a lack of support from his successor.
The dogs are legally categorised as state property belonging to the presidential archives, but Moon's office said he was entrusted as their caretaker under consultations with the archives and the interior ministry, an unprecedented decision.
But that effort fell apart due to "unexplained opposition" from the administration of incumbent President Yoon Suk-yeol, Moon's office said.
"The presidential office seems to be negative toward entrusting the management of the Pungsan dogs to former President Moon," Moon's office said on Facebook.
The interior ministry, which oversees the presidential archives, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.