As Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Korea to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, an animal rights group held a rally calling for Fubao to be returned to Korea.
On the 30th, 15 members of the animal rights group "Fubao and Fudeok-ideul" in Hwangnam-dong, Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, said, "Panda Fubao, an endangered animal that the Animal Protection Act must protect, has been living in poor conditions since returning to China," and urged, "Help move Fubao to a first-class zoo or allow a return to Korea."
Fubao is a giant panda born in 2020 to pandas Lebao and Aibao, which Xi Jinping sent in March 2016 as a symbol of promoting Korea-China friendship. In April last year, Fubao returned to China under an agreement to conserve endangered species and has been living at the Wolong Shenshuping Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan Province. Weight loss and a lethargic appearance have raised concerns among fans in Korea.
The group demanded, "President Xi Jinping should provide tall trees, clean water, and bamboo shoots in line with the panda's basic biology." They also argued that Fubao should leave the breeding center in Sichuan, China, and go to a first-class zoo. The group plans to continue protests in Gyeongju through the 31st, when the APEC summit opens.