The Pubao Panda, which lives in Everland Panda World in Yongin, is the most popular animal in Korea. Fubao means 'an animal that gives happiness', and is loved by many people for its cute face and charming behavior.

Korea's Most Popular Animal: Born in Fubao

The introduction of pandas was discussed after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Korea in 2014, and in 2016, in commemoration of Everland's 40th anniversary, it was decided to reintroduce pandas. As a result, a pair of pandas, Le Bao (Fu Bao's father) and Ai Bao (Fu Bao's mother) came to Everland. Four years after the parent pandas came to Korea, baby panda Fubao was born on July 20, 2020. The name Fubao was chosen through a vote by fans on the Everland website.

However, according to the Washington Treaty, China owns all pandas in the world and exports them by leasing them abroad, so even though Fu Bao was born in Korea, the ownership belongs to the Chinese government. So, in 2024, Fubao will return to China. Many fans are disappointed with this decision. But Pubba Panda's twins were born healthy in July this year, giving panda-loving fans a reassurance.

The most popular animal in Korea: Fubao

Fubao belongs to the handsome side among the pandas, and has a tendency to like people, inheriting the charming personality of his father, Lebao. Everland's YouTube account has many videos related to Fubao uploaded, and these videos became the starting point for attracting people's attention. In particular, the lovely scene of Fu Bao grabbing the zookeeper Kang Cheol-won's legs and begging him to play often appears in YouTube videos.

Since then, photos and videos of Fu Bao's daily life have been continuously uploaded to Everland's official website and Instagram, and even after that, the relationship between Fu Bao and zookeeper Kang Cheol-won, which was set up as a grandfather and granddaughter relationship, received great attention. This special concept further highlights the charm of Fu Bao. In fact, breeder Kang Cheol-won also appeared on the 'You Quiz on the Block' program and revealed that he considers Fubao as his granddaughter.

Reflecting the popularity of Fubao, Everland produced and sold Pubao dolls, and on July 20, 2021, published <Baby Panda Fubao>, a photo essay about Fubao's growth story. In addition, Fu Bao has a record of appearing several times in celebrities' YouTube content or public broadcasts in addition to Everland's YouTube account. All of these activities played a big role in spreading the charm of Fubao more widely.