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President Lee Jae Myung requests panda lease during China summit

Published: 10 Jan. 2026, 09:00 Updated: 11 Jan. 2026, 16:29

The twin panda sisters Hui Bao, left, and Rui Bao, at Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi [EVERLAND]

Gwangju is drawing attention as a potential new home for a pair of giant pandas after President Lee Jae Myung asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to lease the animals during their recent summit. The proposed location, Uchi Park Zoo, is also currently caring for two Pungsan dogs, gifted by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to former President Moon Jae-in in 2018.

President Lee made the request during a state banquet with Xi on Wednesday, suggesting that China lease a pair of pandas to the Uchi Park Zoo as a gesture of friendship between the neighboring countries, according to the Gwangju metropolitan government on Friday. President Xi reportedly did not offer a specific response at the time.

The zoo, located in Gwangju’s Buk District, was designated the country’s second national base zoo last year, following Cheongju Zoo in North Chungcheong. Such zoos are responsible for providing training and public education, managing animal health and safety and running species conservation and breeding programs within their designated regions.

As the only national base zoo in Korea’s Jeolla region, the Uchi Park Zoo has received 300 million won ($206,000) annually in government support for five years.

Ahead of Lee’s state visit to China, the Korean government is said to have inquired about the zoo’s readiness to care for pandas.

President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping pose for a commemorative photo using a Xiaomi smartphone at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Jan. 5, following a state banquet. The phone was a gift from Xi to Lee during their summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, last year. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Opened in May 1992, the Uchi Park Zoo is part of Gwangju Family Land, an amusement park in the city’s Saengyong-dong neighborhood. It relocated from the former Sajik Park Zoo in 1991 and now houses 667 animals from 89 species, including elephants, tigers and bears, as well as 98 endangered animals from 43 species and seven species designated as natural monuments.

The zoo employs 14 keepers, two veterinarians and one veterinary assistant. Since December 2022, the staff has also taken care of two Pungsan dogs — named Songkang and Gomi — originally gifted by the North Korean leader to former President Moon and later entrusted to the zoo.

The Uchi Park Zoo is especially recognized for its strong animal care and treatment capabilities among other local zoos. It made headlines for being the first zoo in the world to successfully fit a parrot with a titanium beak and has performed surgeries on animals, including a ring-tailed lemur from Hwajowon, a zoo on Jeju Island.

The Uchi Park Zoo also plays a leading role in animal rescue efforts, having taken in bears rescued from bile farms and illegal breeding operations. A red-tailed boa, an endangered species that was illegally smuggled into Korea, is also under the zoo’s care after being transferred from the National Institute of Ecology. Last year, the zoo also became home to a Bengal tiger rescued from a private indoor zoo in Bucheon, Gyeonggi.

On the morning of Dec. 12, 2022, Pungsan dogs Gomi and Songkang, once raised by former President Moon Jae-in, play at Uchi Park's zoo in Buk District, Gwangju. The zoo mistakenly swapped their name tags. [YONHAP]

If pandas are brought to the Uchi Park Zoo, it would become the second facility in Korea to house the animals, following Everland’s Panda World in Yongin, Gyeonggi, which is home to Ai Bao, Le Bao and their twin cubs Rui Bao and Hui Bao.

Gwangju officials highlight the zoo’s proximity to Damyang County in South Jeolla as a key environmental advantage, as the area is Korea’s top producer of bamboo, the panda’s primary food source.

“We have the expertise to care for pandas, but new facilities would need to be built to accommodate them properly,” an Uchi Park Zoo spokesperson said.

Following President Lee’s proposal, Gwangju Mayor Kang Gi-jung confirmed that the city had already submitted a panda care plan to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment last December and was preparing for their potential arrival.

“We look forward to seeing how the panda, a symbol of Korea-China friendship and an audience favorite, will transform the landscape of the zoo,” he said.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI KYEONG-HO [[email protected]]