The theme park and zoo Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province, on Oct. 12 said the first twin giant pandas born in the country were named Rui Bao (left) and Hui Bao. (Samsung C&T Resort Group)

By Koh Hyunjeong

The first twin giant panda cubs born in the country have been named Rui Bao and Hui Bao.

Samsung C&T Resort Group, which runs the theme park and zoo Everland in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do Province, where the cuddly animals live, on Oct. 12 said the twins' names were selected through a public contest that ran from Aug. 24 through Oct. 6. The elder's name Rui Bao means "wise treasure" and the younger's Hui Bao "shiny treasure."

A combined 700,000 people cast their votes, most of which went to Rui Bao and Hui Bao among the four finalists. 

Visitors at the event gave their reasons for choosing the names in comments on social media like "I hope the girls become wise and shiny like their names" and "I hope that many people affectionately call them by these names and that the latter are remembered for a long time."

The twins' parents are father Le Bao (born in 2012) and mother Ai Bao (2013), a giant panda couple brought to Korea in March 2016, and their older sister is Fu Bao (2020). 

Arriving in the world through natural birth on July 7, Rui Bao at 180 g and Hui Bao at 140 g were tiny but now near their 100th day of life, they have grown nearly 30-fold and weigh well over five kilograms. Because giant pandas are born prematurely and have a low initial survival rate, they are usually named 100 days after their birth, as their health stabilizes.

Everland will post videos of the twins' growth and the daily life of their family on online platforms like the theme park's official YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/@withEverland) and Talking Zoo PPUPPA TV (www.youtube.com/@ppuppatv/featured).

hjkoh@korea.kr