Presidential couple's love for pets highlighted in central Asia tour

President Yoon Suk Yeol (right) and first lady Kim Keon Hee (second from right) are seen with dogs raised by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the Kalibek Kuanyshbaev Kazakh Musical and Drama Theater in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, on Wednesday. (Pool photo by Yonhap)

ASTANA, Kazakhstan -- President Yoon Suk Yeol and first lady Kim Keon Hee were again spotted with dogs during their trip to Central Asian countries, highlighting the president and his spouse's love for pets.

On Wednesday evening, Yoon and Kim encountered three dogs raised by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as the couple made their way into a special exhibition and stage performances at the Kalibek Kuanyshbaev Kazakh Musical and Drama Theater in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.

South Korea's presidential office did not provide further details about the dogs. Tokayev has often presented his Kazakh Tazy breed hunting dogs in meetings with other important figures, such as French President Emmanuel Macron.

This encounter came shortly after Yoon and his wife were also seen in public with dogs in Turkmenistan on Monday, as they met Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov and his wife.

On Tuesday, Turkmen People's Council Chair and former President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov had expressed his willingness to gift a Turkmen Alabay breed shepherd dog when he and his wife, Ogulgerek Berdymukhamedova, received Yoon and Kim in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. There, the elder Berdymukhamedov, Turkmenistan's "national leader" and father of the current president, was quoted as saying by Yoon's office spokesperson that he was impressed by Yoon's and Kim's love of animals.

Yoon and Kim raise six dogs and five cats at their official residence.

President Yoon Suk Yeol (second from left, front row), first lady Kim Keon Hee (left, front row) and Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (third from left, front row) attend a stage performance at the Kalibek Kuanyshbaev Kazakh Musical and Drama Theater in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, on Wednesday. (Pool photo by Yonhap)

Meanwhile, Wednesday's event in Astana featuring artists from South Korea and Kazakhstan was designed to commemorate Yoon's three-day state visit to Kazakhstan, from Tuesday to Thursday.

Performing onstage were Korean jazz singer Nah Youn-sun, tenor Lee Yeong-hwa, soprano Karah Son, bass Reem Cheol-min and pianist Park Jong-hoon, as well as Kazakh opera singer Mayra Muhammad-kyzy, violinist Jamila Serkebaeva and dancers from the Korean Theatre of Kazakhstan.

Cohosting the show was actor Song Il-kook, who starred in the historical TV series "Jumong," based on the legend of King Dongmyeong, or founder of the Goguryeo Kingdom in the first century BC. "Jumong" recorded a viewership of 80 percent in Kazakhstan.

The exhibition displayed Kazakhstan's copy of "Golden Man," a statue adorned with gold and precious metals found in a burial ground in southeastern Kazakhstan, as well as a replica of a yurt, a portable dwelling for nomadic groups in Central Asia.

By Son Ji-hyoung(consnow@heraldcorp.com)