N. Korea imports breed of horses loved by leader Kim from Russia

▲ This image, captured from footage of North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television on Dec. 4, 2019, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un riding a white horse up Mount Paektu. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)

N Korea-Russian horses

N. Korea imports breed of horses loved by leader Kim from Russia

SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has imported 24 Orlov Trotter horses from Russia, Moscow's agriculture safety watchdog said, as its leader Kim Jong-un is known for his affection for the breed.

The Primorsky office of Rosselkhoznadzor said Tuesday it monitored the exports of 24 Orlov Trotter sports horses -- 19 stallions and five mares -- to North Korea on Sunday at a railway checkpoint in the border city of Khasan.

The horses underwent quarantine in the Vladimir region and arrived in two special vehicles at the railway checkpoint for shipment to North Korea, according to a statement posted on its website. All horses were microchipped.

It marked the first delivery of such horses by Russia since 2022, when Moscow sent 30 Orlov Trotter horses to the North, the statement showed.

The shipment came as North Korea is struggling to recover from massive flood damage in its border areas along the Amnok River. Heavy rains in late July flooded large areas of North Korea's North Phyongan, Jagang and Ryanggang provinces.

Kim is well known for his affection for horses. The Orlov Trotter is Russia's most famous breed, favored by the Kim family.

The North's leader rode his white Orlov Trotter horse up Mount Paektu, the country's highest peak, in December 2019.

A white horse believed to belong to Kim's daughter, Ju-ae, also appeared at a military parade in February last year, in an apparent display of her legitimacy as a descendant of the ruling family's "Paektu bloodline."

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