Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Qiu Guohong (2nd L) attends the welcoming ceremony for two giant pandas from China at the Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea, March 3, 2016. (Photo: Xinhua/Yao Qilin)
A pair of giant pandas left Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport and arrived at the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Thursday, starting their new life in the country, sources with China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) said.
The pair of pandas, Yuan Xin and Hua Ni, were warmly welcomed at a ceremony in the ROK, receiving the new names Le Bao and Ai Bao, according to the center.
Names suggestions were collected from people in China and the ROK. A total of 8,500 people, including 3,000 Chinese and 5,500 ROK people offered suggestions, the center said.
The names, which translate to happy baby and love baby, signify the happiness and joy brought by the pandas to both Chinese and ROK people, it said.
The arrival of the pair of pandas marks the first time in 22 years that the endangered species has entered the ROK for joint research purposes.
China previously loaned a pair of pandas to the ROK in 1994. They were returned to China four years later.
