Everland opens public vote to name fourth baby giant panda

The baby giant panda born at Everland on June 3 [Everland]

A nationwide vote to name the fourth giant panda born in South Korea has officially kicked off.

Everland, the resort arm of Samsung C&T, said it is holding a public voting event to decide the name of the newest member of its panda family, running from Tuesday through Aug. 30. A first-round name submission held on the company's online channels last month drew more than 10,000 comments.

From the names submitted by customers, a naming selection committee — made up of zookeepers, veterinarians and staff from related departments — narrowed the field to five finalists. The committee evaluated each name on how well it suited the baby panda, the meaning it carried and how easy it was to pronounce.

All five finalists follow the "bao" (treasure or jewel) character shared across the panda family's names: Jubao (precious treasure loved like a pearl or jewel), Junbao (outstanding and handsome treasure), Linbao (precious treasure like beautiful jade), Yubao (treasure watched over and blessed by all) and Shubao (treasure as bright as the light of dawn).

The vote runs through Aug. 30 both online via the Everland app and in person at Panda World, and is open to everyone. The winning name will be announced in September, when the baby panda turns 100 days old.

Among online participants, 21 winners will be selected by draw to receive prizes: a trip to a giant panda base in China, an invitation to the baby panda's 100-day celebration, merchandise featuring the baby panda's pawprints, and Everland admission tickets. The Chinese Embassy in Seoul is also running the naming vote on its social media channels.

The baby panda was born at 10:53 a.m. on June 3 to mother Aibao and father Lebao, who live at Everland's Panda World. She is the fourth female giant panda born in South Korea, following Fubao in 2020 and twin pandas Ruibao and Huibao in 2023.

Now well past two months old, the baby panda weighed approximately 3.7 kilograms at a recent health checkup — more than 20 times her birth weight of 171 grams — showing she is growing healthily.

Updates on the baby panda's growth are available on YouTube channels including Everland and Ppuppa TV, as well as on blogs and the Zootopia Naver cafe.

"We ask for your warm participation and support in the online and offline vote, so that our youngest panda — born with the affectionate attention of the public — can receive a cherished name and grow up healthy," an Everland official said.

terry@heraldcorp.com