For decades, China has used giant pandas as a tool of diplomacy, sending the furry ambassadors that double as a national symbol to friend and foe alike in a bid to foster cultural ties and soften Beijing’s image abroad.

But while China has gifted or leased the bamboo-eating bears to countries as disparate as the U.S., U.K., Japan and South Korea, and even to its cross-strait rival Taiwan, one country has been the recipient of more pandas than any other — North Korea.