Will Pandas Return After Fu Bao's Departure? President Lee Highlights Gwangju Uchi Zoo

Panda Loan Proposal at Korea-China Summit
Highlighting the Status of National Hub Zoo
Lack of Panda Facilities... Further Review Needed

President Lee Jaemyung has recently drawn attention to Gwangju Uchi Zoo after proposing to Chinese President Xi Jinping during the latest Korea-China summit that a pair of giant pandas be loaned to Korea. The zoo's status as a national hub zoo and its accumulated expertise in animal welfare and veterinary care are cited as the main reasons.

A giant panda residing in a Japanese zoo. This photo is for illustrative purposes and is unrelated to the content. Photo by AP Yonhap News.

According to a comprehensive report by The Asia Business Daily on January 8, President Lee revealed during a meeting with the accompanying Korean press corps at the Shanghai Press Center in China the previous day that he had asked President Xi to send a pair of pandas to Gwangju Uchi Zoo as part of efforts to promote balanced regional development.

Uchi Zoo was established in May 1992 near Family Land in Saengyong-dong, Buk-gu, Gwangju. Including the botanical garden that opened the following year, the area directly operated by Gwangju City covers 123,712 square meters, equivalent to the size of 17 soccer fields.

Uchi Zoo is home to 667 animals across 89 species, including tigers, bears, mammals, birds, and reptiles. Among them, there are 98 animals from 43 endangered species and 66 animals from 7 natural monuments.

The Pungsan dogs "Songgang" and "Gomi," which former President Moon Jaein received as gifts from North Korean leader Kim Jongun and had been raising, have also been under protection and management at Uchi Zoo since the end of 2022.

The zoo employs 14 animal keepers, 2 veterinarians, and 1 veterinary assistant, and has been highly regarded nationwide for its capabilities in animal care and treatment. It was the first in the world to implant a titanium artificial beak in a parrot and gained attention for successfully performing surgery on the fractured arm of "Ogongi," a ring-tailed lemur commissioned by Jeju Bird Park.

The zoo has also achieved results in animal rescue activities. It has rescued and protected captive bears previously kept in cages for bile extraction, as well as bears illegally bred in captivity. It also manages a red-tailed boa, an endangered species that was illegally smuggled and later transferred from the National Institute of Ecology. Last year, the zoo provided a new home for "Hogwang," a Bengal tiger rescued from an indoor zoo in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province.

In recognition of its achievements in animal welfare and veterinary care, Uchi Zoo was designated last year as the second national hub zoo representing the Honam region. As a hub zoo, it receives 300 million won in state subsidies annually for five years to support animal disease management, safety management, species conservation and propagation, and emergency protection of wild animals.

Giant panda living in Taipei Zoo, Taiwan. Taipei Taiwan official website.

However, Uchi Zoo currently does not have dedicated facilities for housing pandas. The zoo explains that while it has sufficient expertise to care for pandas, new facilities would need to be constructed for actual panda management.

Panda cooperation between Korea and China has long been an ongoing agenda. Panda collaboration began in 2014 when "support for joint panda research" was specified in the annex to the joint statement during President Xi Jinping's visit to Korea. Since then, the two countries have pursued panda introduction and joint research. As a result, a pair of pandas was brought to Korea in 2016, and Fu Bao, born thereafter, was repatriated to China last year in accordance with the agreement.

On January 6, 2026, Kim Sunghwan, Minister of Climate Energy and Environment, and Huang Runqiu, Minister of Ecology and Environment of China, held the 7th Korea-China Ministerial Meeting in Beijing, China. Ministry of Climate Energy and Environment

Nevertheless, it is widely believed that President Lee's mention of Uchi Zoo was influenced by its designation as a national hub zoo. An official from Uchi Zoo stated, "There are only two national hub zoos, one in the Chungcheong region and one in the Honam region. It appears that the fact that the hub zoo in Chungcheong is already close to Everland, which houses four pandas, was also taken into consideration."

Some observers expect that if pandas are brought to Uchi Zoo, they could become a symbol of friendly exchange between Korea and China. It is also anticipated that this could have a positive impact on attracting both domestic and international tourists and revitalizing the local economy. The Gwangju and Jeonnam regions have long regarded Jeong Yulseong, a native of Gwangju and a figure considered a pioneer of revolutionary music in China, as a symbol of Korea-China exchange. However, most related projects have been suspended since ideological controversies arose in 2023.