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| Paper pandas made by French artist Paulo Grangeon / Yonhap |
By Kim Se-jeong
A total of 1,600 paper pandas made by French artist Paulo Grangeon will be on display near Seokchon Lake in southern Seoul from today.
The free exhibition, which will continue until July 30, follows last year's successful display of a floating 16-meter rubber duck, the work of Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, according to the Songpa District Office.
The opening ceremony is today and the exhibition will be open to the public on Friday.
The pandas were previously displayed at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts and Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Outside Seoul, they were also displayed in Busan and Daejeon.
The French artist is having a global tour with the paper pandas in an effort to raise awareness for endangered species, in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature.
The 1,600 paper pandas represent the number of real pandas left on Earth. The animal originated in southern China. Its population decreased over the years as farming, deforestation and other development drove them from the land where they used to live.
The pandas on display are made from recycled paper.
The international tour began in 2008, and has visited eight countries including Italy, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Malaysia. Korea is the ninth destination.
The district office hopes the exhibition will draw visitors to stores in the area, which have been struggling since the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
