Giant panda twins are born in South Korea, a wave of excitement in the country

Panda twins were born last Friday at a zoo near Seoul, South Korea. The panda’s birthing video has been viewed 640,000 times on YouTube since it was uploaded.

A South Korean zoo has announced the birth of giant panda twins, the first born in the country, sparking excitement on social media. The twins were born on Friday at Everland amusement park, near the capital, which featured them in a video on its YouTube channel.

The video, uploaded Tuesday, shows the mother, Ai Bao, in labour, rolling around in her cage before giving birth to two baby pandas. The zoo said the first twin weighed 180 grams and the second 140 grams.

“Mother and twin pandas are both healthy,” a zoo representative said in a statement.

In July 2020, Ai Bao gave birth to Lu Bao, the first giant panda born in South Korea via natural reproduction. The video of the twins’ birth has been viewed 640,000 times on YouTube since it was posted.

“Tears don’t stop falling”

A netizen wrote: “Welcome to the world, dear children! Congratulations to the Bao family.” Another commented, “Tears are falling from my eyes because I’m so proud of Ai Bao! Well done, Ai Bao!”

Ai Bao and Le Bao, Sr., arrived in South Korea in 2016 as official gifts from Chinese President Xi Jinping. Outside of China, only about twenty animal parks have these herbivores, and they are symbols of Beijing’s diplomatic friendships.

Beijing lends pandas to foreign zoos, which generally have to send their potential offspring to China within a few years of their birth, in order to incorporate them into the country’s breeding program.