“At least give us Fubao”… President Lee Jae Myung and panda diplomacy raise questions for animal rights - 경향신문
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On February 15, 2024, at Everland Panda World in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, Fubao chews bamboo. Senior reporter Seo Seong-il
[Weekly Kyunghyang] “There was nothing I could think of that China would give us. So I said, ‘At least give us Fubao’. At least give us Fubao.” President Lee Jae Myung said this at a press briefing with Korean media held in Shanghai, China, on January 7 during his visit. He also said, “I proposed (to the Chinese side) that they send a pair of pandas to Gwangju Uchi Zoo.” He said the aim was to reaffirm KoreaChina friendship and, in terms of balanced regional development, to request a panda loan.
Although President Lee's mention of Chinese pandas came from diplomatic and political considerations, the discussion that unfolded afterward carries a more complex context. Fundamental questions are posed: What truly benefits animals, and what should the state do for animals? Fans of Fubao (nicknamed ‘Puduck-i’), who enjoyed nationwide popularity, have been holding various rallies and campaigns asking to bring Fubao back, saying Fubao has been living a hard life since going to China. Animal protection groups declared opposition to a panda loan, saying, “It is time to stop the history of animal use that has been repeated as a diplomatic tool.” Although keeping bears and extracting bile (a bear's gallbladder) have been fully banned this year, 199 farmed bears remain confined behind bars at private farms.
On January 16, in front of the Central Post Office in Myeong-dong, Seoul, the Korea Fubao Protection Alliance, a gathering of Fubao fans, held a rally. Participants held placards reading, “The public wants only Fubao, not another panda!” and shouted, “Re-loan Fubao!” A truck at the front played videos of Fubao, and a large banner held by participants bore the phrase ‘We earnestly ask for Fubao to be re-loaned to Korea’ in both Korean and Chinese. There is a Chinese Embassy in Myeong-dong, and many Chinese tourists visit. Passing Chinese tourists pointed at photos of Fubao and filmed the rally with their phones.
On January 16, in front of the Central Post Office in Myeong-dong, Seoul, the Korea Fubao Protection Alliance holds a rally requesting that Fubao be re-loaned. Reporter Lee Hye-ri
Fans held the rally because President Lee's call for a panda loan prompted the judgment that Fubao, who is living a difficult life at the Wolong China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda Shenshuping Base in Sichuan Province, should be brought back. Earlier, a video on Weibo showing Fubao appearing to tremble as if having convulsions while eating bamboo shoots was uploaded, prompting speculation about health problems. Breeze of the ‘Spark Campaign’ (activist name; a person surnamed Kim), who has held solo protests out of concern for Fubao, said, “After Fubao went to China, I was shocked watching the videos.” Breeze said, “They did not give Fubao meals and did not clean well. Even when Fubao vomited and had diarrhea, there were times when no one checked,” and “Considering the health condition and age of Fubao, breeding is difficult, but the Sichuan facility is a base for breeding experiments, so I think Fubao should escape Sichuan and be in a better place.”
They said, “If Fubao were doing well in China, we would not be holding a rally like this, but because the situation of Fubao is not good, we are asking to bring Fubao to Korea.” Son Mi-seon, in her 50s, did not know Fubao well when Fubao was in Korea, but became interested after the return to China. Son, who had long cared for a stray dog and was interested in animals, said she became angry as she encountered materials showing that Fubao was not doing well in China. She said, “I did not know pandas were being used for artificial breeding and living like that,” and “Fubao can not even eat, and even when we demand corrections, the Chinese side does not accept them. Fubao, who once gave us laughter and comfort, keeps showing wounds after going to China, so I feel bad and angry.”
Fubao is the first panda born in Korea. The pink lump of flesh that weighed 197 g at birth grew sturdily until becoming a giant panda of 100㎏ under the eyes of the entire nation. Fubao was so loved that nicknames such as Princess Fu, the Yongin Fu clan, and Kim Bok-bo were attached, but under an agreement that giant pandas born abroad must be returned to China before turning four, Fubao went back to China in April 2024.
There have not been only positive views of the fandom phenomenon in which an animal became an idol. Fubao mainly gained popularity on social media with cute, soft memes and videos. Some pointed out that, rather than the life, welfare, and rights of pandas, they are being used as exhibition animals for people, and that Everland's big-capital marketing lies behind it.
In that regard, Lee Su-jin (44), who acts as the representative of the Korea Fubao Protection Alliance, explained that the current call for a re-loan stems from a sense of responsibility. Lee said, “Bringing in new pandas without being able to take responsibility for the life of a panda would be nothing but for ‘display’,” and “We gave birth to Fubao, we watched and raised Fubao, and even after going to China we have constantly cared; it is our wish that the life of Fubao be maintained for a long time in the place where Fubao was happiest.” Lee added, “Loving Fubao like a trend, then forgetting after time passes and waiting for new pandas, that is what I think is truly accepting pandas for display,” and “Pandas are used for breeding and then, when they grow old, are sent to nonpublic areas; should we not provide the opportunity to live a better life?” The intent is opposition to using pandas as a diplomatic tool, while asserting that Fubao is a special case.
On the afternoon of January16, in front of the Central Post Office in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Fubao fans hold a rally carrying placards that read, “The public wants only Fubao, not another panda!” Reporter Lee Hye-ri
Breeze also said, “I have had many doubts about panda diplomacy given that, even if pandas come to Korea, they eventually go back to China,” and “We insist that it must be Fubao because we do not want the sadness to be repeated when another panda comes.” Breeze said, “Even if it is an animal, if we received healing and felt much, we should take responsibility.” Breeze added that interest in animal welfare and animal rights has grown thanks to Fubao. “Before, I thought pandas were simply pretty and cute animals, exhibition animals in a zoo, but after Fubao went to China, I came to think about the welfare, treatment, and life of pandas,” Breeze said. “As I came to like Fubao, I also became interested in bear sanctuaries, and many among the ‘Puduck-i’ supporters donate to animal protection groups.”
Animal protection groups oppose President Lee Jae Myung requesting a panda loan to China. Thirteen groups, including AWARE (the Institute for Animal Welfare Issues), Animal Freedom Alliance, and the Bear Sanctuary Project, stated in a January 14 declaration titled ‘Immediately withdraw the plan to loan pandas’ that “Panda loans carry ethical problems because lending, contract renewals, and returns are decided according to diplomatic relations between countries rather than the interests or condition of the animals.” The groups said, “Artificially moving exhibition animals that live confined in specific spaces such as zoos shakes the world in which an animal was born and raised for life and serves as severe stress that can lead to death,” and “Therefore, even if attempts to move animals are made with an intention for animals, one must carefully consider the degree of impact on the animals.”
Like pandas, the problem of farmed bears, which are also endangered animals, remains unresolved. Since the 1980s, Korea has imported Asiatic black bears to extract bile and raised them confined in narrow cages. Farmed bears often live in raised cages of private farms, in spaces so cramped that they can not move their bodies. Until recently, animal protection groups could do nothing but create their own bear protection facilities and provide care. In January 2022, an ‘agreement to end bear farming’ reflecting that aim was created, and in January last year the Wildlife Protection and Management Act took effect. From this year, ownership, breeding, and reproduction of bears has been completely banned, but 199 individuals still remain at 11 farms nationwide. Penalties for farming households were deferred for six months.
There are also calls to codify sanctuaries. At present, institutions that rescued animals can go to include shelters, rehabilitation centers, and zoos. Shelters provide temporary protection, rehabilitation centers support return to the wild, and zoos are places for exhibition for viewing. There is no suitable sanctuary as a lifelong refuge for animals that are not used or exhibited. Because the concept of a sanctuary is not clearly defined in law, there is concern that, even if a public protection facility is created in the future, it may not be operated in keeping with that purpose.
A farmed bear confined in a cage. Kyunghyang Shinmun file photo
This problem arises even if Chinese pandas come to Korea. Gwangju Uchi Zoo, identified as a place pandas could go, has said it can keep pandas, but questions have been raised over whether facilities for lifelong care are adequately prepared, and a zoo is, after all, a space intended for people to view animals. Kim So-hee, chairperson of the Environment and Life Culture Foundation IDA, said, “Pandas became a material of diplomacy likely to increase emotional intimacy between China and Korea, but fundamentally, living animals should not be exchanged as diplomatic gifts,” and “That is especially true if one is not prepared to provide lifelong care for the animals.” Kim said, “A sanctuary is a space where an animal can live its own life without serving humans, and a space of responsibility for the fact that humans have damaged the wild where animals lived and taken away their wildness,” and “The government should assume responsibility through policy on sanctuaries.”
In Gurye County, South Jeolla Province, the first public bear protection facility in Korea was created last September. The Gurye facility currently houses 24 individuals rescued from bear-rearing facilities of private farms. For each bear, a 15㎡ (4.5 pyeong) indoor room and an intermediate outdoor yard of about 20 pyeong have been established. Three veterinarians are stationed there and check the health conditions of the bears. Jung Woo-jin, head of the National Park Wildlife Conservation Institute, said, “Rather than being a simple protection facility that only feeds bears, it plays the role of a sanctuary,” and “To relieve stress for the bears, we build various play facilities, provide regular health checkups and medical services tailored to each individual, and manage the bears until they die a natural death.”
Although only about four months have passed since opening, the bear protection facility has been giving small positive influences to the local community. Yoon Joo-ok, executive director of Friends of the Moon Bear, said, “We have been gathering 1% of net profits from shops in Gurye to check routes by which bears in the mountains go out to the outskirts and to put up signs, and we are also starting a campaign to give coffee grounds (the residue left after extracting coffee) so that the sanctuary bears can revive their sense of smell and engage their muscles in play,” and “People might not have known that such things are needed for confined animals, but these are small changes occurring around us.” Yoon said, “An image of Asiatic black bears as scary and violent is often consumed, but they tend to avoid people, so the possibility of conflict is not high, and the perception of residents at the foot of Jirisan is gradually improving,” and “We will try to live better together as family living side by side.”
Panda diplomacy in China fluctuates with the ups and downs of relations between countries. As ChinaJapan relations have worsened recently, the twin giant pandas ‘Xiao Xiao’ and ‘Lei Lei’ at Ueno Zoo in Tokyo are scheduled to be returned to China. By contrast, reports say China has signed a new agreement with Germany to send two additional pandas.
Lee Won-bok, head of the Korean Animal Protection Coalition, said, “It is a thankful thing that many people love Fubao, and how could anyone deny or criticize such feelings?” and “However, we have seen how the end of animals exchanged diplomatically as often been unhappy, and given that habitat and environment are crucial for wild animals, it would be good to reflect on whether it is appropriate to keep them as exhibition animals in artificial breeding spaces for human viewing.” Lee said, “Pandas are bears, and farmed bears are also bears, yet the government seems to care only for one side while showing no interest in whether the others live or die; such a double standard is the problem.”
