President Yoon Seok-yeol (left) and his wife, Kim Gun-hee (〃 right), revealed their daily routine with stray dogs and their reasons for adopting them at their official residence in Hannam-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Monday.
The president and his wife appeared on the SBS current affairs program “TV Animal Farm” on the same day. Sae-Rom Yi, who retired as a guide dog for the visually impaired and became the 11th “First Dog” on Dec. 24 last year, was also present.
President Yoon first introduced himself, saying, “I’m Yoon Seok-yeol, the father of Saerom, Marie, Sunny, and Tori.”
Mrs. Kim also introduced herself, saying, “I am their mother, Kim Gun-hee.”
“When I was a candidate, I went to a guide dog school in (Gyeonggi) Yongin and said, ‘If I am elected and get a residence with a yard, I would like to have a retirement guide dog,'” Mr. Yoon said, adding that he adopted Sarom into the family on Christmas Day last year.
“He likes you much better,” Mrs. Kim said, adding, “All the dogs and cats in the house like you much better.”
President Yoon then said, “She 토토사이트(Mrs. Kim) usually tries to train him, and when she gives him a treat, she trains him.” “Then the puppy runs to me, it’s just different,” he added.
Yoon and Kim also opened up about the circumstances that led them to adopt a stray dog. “I don’t know, not for any particular reason,” Yoon said, and Mrs. Kim took over, saying, “I have to tell you that.”
“We had a child and then we lost a child,” Kim said, adding, “He was having a very hard time psychologically, and I kept adopting stray dogs, and he loved them so much. He loves them so much, and when he comes home, he forgets the pain for a while because he thinks about feeding them,” Kim said.
“Actually, they were all temporary care, but after a day, the dad wants to bring them all back, saying, ‘I have to keep them,'” he said, “That’s why they keep growing.”
“There are many puppies that serve special purposes, and since they serve the country and society, it is right that the country and society should pay for a certain part of their medical treatment,” Yoon said. When asked if it could become a policy within his term, he said, “I will try.”
President and Mrs. Yoon said, “Don’t buy, adopt.”