Twin pandas Ruibao and Huibao mark what may be their last birthday in Korea

Ruibao and Huibao celebrate their third birthday at Everland. [Everland]

Everland's twin giant pandas Ruibao and Huibao turned three Tuesday — and with the pair required to return to China before their fourth birthday under an international agreement, this is in effect their last birthday celebration in Korea with fans.

Everland held a birthday party for the twins at Panda World's Second House in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, with head zookeepers Gang Cheol-won and Song Yeong-gwan and a group of specially invited fans joining in the festivities.

The zookeepers prepared a large birthday cake made of bamboo for the occasion, and Song also handcrafted a wooden bench as a gift so the two pandas could sit together.

The roughly 30 fans in attendance were selected through a comment event on the theme "We love Rui and Hui," beating odds of about 400 to 1. They sang happy birthday and shared messages of support for the twins.

Ruibao and Huibao were born July 7, 2023, to mother Aibao and father Lebao, weighing 180 grams and 140 grams respectively. Both have since grown healthily, each now exceeding 80 kilograms.

The birthday carries extra weight as it is expected to be the twins' last in Korea. Under an international agreement, giant pandas born anywhere in the world must return to China before they turn 4, when they reach breeding age. The twins' older sister Fubao was transferred to the Shenshuping Panda Base in Wolong, Sichuan Province, in 2024, before she turned 4.

"We plan to closely monitor Ruibao and Huibao's health and consult with the Chinese side to ensure they can be transferred safely at the most appropriate time," an Everland official said.

As the twins' departure draws closer, visitors have been flocking to Panda World to catch a glimpse of them. Following in Fubao's footsteps, Ruibao and Huibao have led Korea's panda fandom and carried on their role as Everland's mascots.

Meanwhile, the youngest panda, born June 3, is growing healthily — its weight has increased more than sevenfold from 171 grams at birth in just over a month.

The cub is currently living with its mother Aibao and receiving care from Everland's zookeepers and experts from China's Panda Conservation and Research Center. Its growth is being documented on Everland's YouTube channel and the Ppuppa TV channel.

Fans have already given the cub nicknames such as "Pobao" — a play on the number four and the "bao" suffix — and "Maknae Bao," meaning the youngest, as a new fandom begins to take shape.

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