Goodbye Fu Bao: South Koreans bid tearful farewell to beloved panda

The Star

Thousands of well-wishers gathered Wednesday (April 3) to bid farewell to Fu Bao, the first giant panda born in South Korea.  Read more at https://tinyurl.com/2rcapj49  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00 Thousands of well-wishers gathered on Wednesday to bid farewell to Fu Bao, the first giant

00:08 panda born in South Korea, as she embarked on her journey to China aboard a high-tech,

00:14 non-vibrating vehicle typically reserved for transporting semiconductors.

00:20 Beijing has long used panda diplomacy as a form of self-power, and Fu Bao's parents,

00:26 Ai Bao and Le Bao, were gifted to South Korea in 2016 by Chinese President Xi Jinping.

00:33 "I hope I can have many children like Ai Bao and live happily ever after.

00:40 I hope I can meet a good partner. Bye!"

00:43 Fu Bao, whose name means "treasure that brings happiness," captured the hearts of many in

00:49 South Korea since her birth in 2020, becoming a celebrity figure with her videos on the

00:55 zoo's YouTube channel, amassing approximately 500 million views.

01:00 "Fu Bao is a treasure that brings me happiness.

01:06 She's like a treasure to me.

01:09 I will remember this day as a very meaningful and sad day.

01:14 I will celebrate her birthday on July 20th every year."

01:19 Residing in the Everland theme park, Fu Bao drew in an astounding 5.5 million visitors,

01:26 roughly one-tenth of the entire South Korean population eager to catch a glimpse of her.

01:33 Fu Bao welcomed her younger twin sisters last year named Rui Bao and Hui Bao, whose births

01:39 also sparked jubilation across South Korean online communities.

01:44 Under an agreement between Seoul and Beijing, Fu Bao's parents are permitted to remain in

01:50 South Korea until 2031, but her twin sisters, like Fu Bao herself, must return to China

01:57 before reaching the age of four.

01:59 Fu Bao departed Everland at approximately 11 a.m., bound for China via a chartered plane

02:05 from Incheon International Airport.

02:08 Accompanying her on this journey is zookeeper Kang Cho Won, affectionately known as the

02:15 "Grandpa of Everland's Pandas," who shared heartfelt sentiments in a letter read during

02:21 the farewell ceremony.

02:23 "Please remember Fu Bao for a long time.

02:26 I will never forget you as Fu Bao's grandmother.

02:30 And everyone, don't cry too much.

02:33 I will take Fu Bao home safely.

02:36 Thank you all."

02:37 Kang is accompanying the panda on the journey to China until Fu Bao arrives at the country's

02:43 Sensuping Panda Base in Sichuan province.

02:47 [END]

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