North Korea's national dog and the ancient heritage of Korea's native canines

Visual History of Korea KAESONG — Finding the Pungsan-gae in North Korea was far more difficult than I had imagined.

During my first reporting trip to North Korea in 1995, I asked nearly everyone I met where I could find the country's famous hunting dog.

Eventually, my government guides took me to the Pyongyang Central Zoo, where several Pungsan dogs were exhibited alongside imported breeds such as German shepherds and Labrador retrievers.

The Pungsan-gae immediately stood out.

Larger and more p ...