Songpa-gu New CI 'Sonamu' Image

Tiger Characters "Haha · Hoho" Reflecting the Historicity of the '88 Seoul Olympic City'

Songpa-gu CI Basic Form

Character 'Hahaha Hoho'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Seogang Seok) is unveiling a new city brand that embodies the unique value and history of the city.

Seogang Seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, explained the background, saying, “There were many opinions that the CI and character developed during the 7th elected term resembled those of certain companies and did not properly represent the city’s identity. After being elected as mayor of Songpa-gu, I listened to the residents’ opinions and carefully considered them, leading to the development of a new city brand.”

Accordingly, the district conducted a survey last August, which showed a consensus on replacing the city brand. 89% of respondents felt that the existing CI was similar to the logo of a local bank, and 65% believed a replacement was necessary.

The newly introduced city brand consists of two elements: the CI and the character.

The CI visualizes the meaning embedded in the place name ‘Songpa (松坡).’ Reflecting the meaning of ‘pine hill,’ the pine tree is creatively reinterpreted, with the Korean consonant ‘시옷 (S)’ representing Seoul and Songpa-gu, and an arrow symbolizing the aspiration to move upward, embodying the city’s direction. The colors primarily used are green, symbolizing a clean environment, and ochre, representing the city’s preservation of the Hanseong Baekje history.

The character reimagines the historical significance of the host city of the 1988 Seoul Olympics through storytelling. The new characters ‘Haha’ and ‘Hoho’ are the babies born from Hodori and Hosuni, who worked part-time as the official mascots in 1988 and reunited during the 2002 World Cup street cheering, falling in love and getting married. With their cute image, they are expected to approach residents in a friendly manner.

The new city brand will be unveiled to residents at a proclamation ceremony held at the Songpa-gu Office auditorium at 3 p.m. on December 28 and will be officially used starting January 1 of next year. On January 10, emoticons featuring the ‘Haha·Hoho’ characters will be distributed free of charge to the first 25,000 applicants.

Mayor Seogang Seok of Songpa-gu stated, “The existing city brand resembled other companies and had limitations in representing Songpa’s identity, according to residents’ opinions, which led to the new development. With a reasonable budget, a new CI and characters reflecting the residents’ wishes and Songpa’s aspirations have been created. We ask for your continued interest and love.”