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| Baby panda Fu Bao, right, sits next to her mother Ai Bao in this undated photo. Courtesy of Samsung Everland |
By Park Ji-won
Korea-born baby panda Fubao welcomes visitors from Monday Jan. 4.
Samsung Everland, the operator of Everland ― an amusement park, zoo and waterpark ― said visitors can see Fu Bao at the zoo between 10:20 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. from Jan. 4 through 17.
The baby panda born on July 20, 2020, to seven-year-old mother Ai Bao and eight-year-old father Le Bao, has been receiving care since its birth due to health concerns. It is the first time Fu Bao has been outside for visitors to see.
Chinese President Xi Jinping gave the parent pandas to Korea in 2016 upon the agreement made during a summit between Korea and China in July 2014. Fu Bao's birth made headlines as she was the first panda to be born in Korea and it is rare for a panda to be born without an accompanying visitation of Chinese officials, who were unable to attend due to the COVID-19 spread.
Everland has been releasing photos and videos of Fu Bao since her birth through its official social media channels ― including YouTube ― which have had more than 50 million views in total.
The name Fu Bao, meaning "a treasure that brings happiness," was picked among some 50,000 recommendations from the public.
Fu Bao weighed 197 grams at birth but is growing every day and is now 10 kilograms.
