Improve ties just like the love for Fu Bao

Just like the image of Fu Bao eating well suggests, I look forward to some sweet news between Korea and China soon.

LEE DO-SUNGThe author is a Beijing correspondent of JTBC. “Did you receive money from China?” I recently received an email from a reader. He found fault with a quote taken from China’s Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda in my article about a controversy over its possible abuse of giant Fu Bao, who was recently sent back to China from Korea. The reader raised doubts about the center’s comment that Fu Bao was adjusting well after being transferred to a better facility.

The email included three photos showing suspicious conditions, such as the female panda’s hair loss. Earlier, the center explained that the allegations were not true.

Fu Bao means “a treasure that brings happiness.” Fans have watched Fu Bao’s birth and growth as it is the first panda to be born from natural pregnancy in Korea.

Due to the international agreement, it had to return to China, the homeland of her parents. Fans paid attention to each and every move of Fu Bao. They felt as if their “own baby” was handed over to a stranger. So, the allegations made the fans angry. A protest truck appeared in front of the Chinese Embassy in central Seoul, demanding China’s clarification. Even a petition to bring back the panda was posted on the Korean government’s website.

There was no border for fan activities. The people who raised the issue first were Chinese fans. Some social media posted pictures and videos of Fu Bao in a secret location after Fu Bao returned to China.

They broadcast a video live to check whether the panda was really not abused by trainers and was given food on time. They even checked the colors and amount of her excrement. One of the allegations is that the color of Fu Bao’s stool was not healthy green but white.

When fans of the two countries got together, China began actively clarifying the allegations, which is unusual. China’s official social media had multiple postings refuting and clarifying controversies. Local media were called to film Fu Bao and release the video. State-run media reported that Fu Bao will make a public appearance next month. After Fu Bao went to China, videos of the panda getting adjusted to the new home were posted constantly.

Some connect the attention on Fu Bao to the changing Korea-China relations. The Global Times, China’s state-run English newspaper, mentioned the heated attention on Fu Bao, as it reported the resumption of various talks and exchanges between the two countries.

The Korea-Japan-China summit on May 27 opened a way for improving the bilateral relations. While there are many obstacles, such as Northeast Asian security, a breakthrough has been made to the stalled Korea-China relations. Just like the image of Fu Bao eating well suggests, I look forward to some sweet news between Korea and China soon.