Animal rights group wants end to 'panda diplomacy' after Lee asks China to send more
Published: 08 Jan. 2026, 14:27
Updated: 08 Jan. 2026, 20:23
![Fu Bao, a panda that was returned to China in 2024, is seen at a zoo in China on Dec. 12, 2025. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/01/08/f0355ee8-4222-4b65-aead-e486c36e6715.jpg)
Fu Bao, a panda that was returned to China in 2024, is seen at a zoo in China on Dec. 12, 2025. [NEWS1]
A Korean animal rights group called on the government to end the practice of using wild animals for diplomacy and display, as President Lee Jae Myung reportedly raised the possibility of borrowing more pandas from China during his recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The Korea Animal Rights Advocates (KARA) issued a statement Wednesday urging the Lee administration to “fully reconsider” any such discussions.
Lee and Xi met on Monday and discussed potential cooperation, including the loan of additional pandas. During the meeting, Lee is said to have mentioned Fu Bao, a panda born in Korea and returned to China last year.
“Pandas are an endangered wild species, not born to serve human entertainment or to symbolize friendly relations between nations,” KARA said in its statement. “Yet they have long been used as a diplomatic tool by China — and the Korean government has accepted this practice without question.”
The group argued that the renewed discussions about panda loans following the “Fu Bao craze” in 2024, when the first giant panda born and bred in Korea was sent to China, could be seen as a continuation of the display industry, disguised as wildlife conservation.
“Repeated loans and exhibitions under the pretext of breeding research do not contribute to preserving panda habitats or restoring wild populations,” it continued. “Instead, they reinforce a system that confines animals in artificial environments and justifies their commercial use.”
“What the Lee administration needs is not a new panda exhibit but a return to the public awareness and integrity once sparked by past controversies — and a firm commitment not to use wild animals as tools for diplomacy or tourism,” KARA concluded. “That is the starting point for a responsible animal rights policy.”
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 KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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