China's panda pair to leave for ROK

CHENGDU -- A pair of giant pandas will leave China for their new home in the Republic of Korea (ROK) on Thursday on a 15-year lease.

Yuan Xin and Hua Ni will take a Korean Air flight from southwestern city of Chengdu to the ROK on Thursday morning, China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) told Xinhua Monday.

Their new home will be a 3,300-square-meter house at Everland, ROK's largest theme park, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Seoul, CCRCGP said.

The pair's lease was put on the agenda after Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to ROK in 2014, during which the two countries pledged cooperation in panda research, and the loan was agreed during Premier Li Keqiang's visit last year.

The center describes Yuan Xin, a 3-year-old male, as being lively and outgoing, and 2-year-old Hua Ni as a "good girl" with a slightly introverted and docile disposition.