Dog named after Son Heung-min returns home after 41 days missing

Hong-min, a one-year-old Korean Jindo dog, made local headlines after a YouTube channel posted its story on Tuesday, the Korea Herald reported.

The dog lives in Daejeon City with its owner Yoon Jeong-sang, who owns 10 Jindos. Yoon, a football fan, named Hong-min after South Korean footballer Son Heung-min.

The dog went missing on March 24 when it was taken to a dog convention in the same city, located about 20 km away from home. Hong-min reportedly got scared of all the noise, and ran off.

Yoon was not able to find his dog, despite trying to look for him at animal shelters and district offices.

But on Friday last week, Yoon heard the sound of dogs barking in the junkyard he runs. When he came out to check what happened, he saw Hong-min standing and wagging his tail, The Strait Times reported.

Yoon said Hong-min did not lose much weight or have any major injuries despite having been missing for so long, save for the ticks he carried with him. The dog has now fully recovered, he added.

Korean Jindo dogs are native to the Jindo Island in South Jella Province. They are known for their loyalty and intelligence.