Gyeonggi Province Selects New Official Symbols Reflecting Status as Nation's Largest Local Government

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun] Gyeonggi Province has unveiled a new Government Identity (GI) and English slogan that reflect its status as the nation's largest local government and future vision, fostering pride among provincial residents.

These replace the 'Gyeonggi Inspiring the World (Global inspiration)' developed in 2005, marking the first update in 16 years in consideration of contemporary relevance and sustainability.

Lee Sung-ho, Gyeonggi Province's Director of Public Relations and Planning, held a press conference on the 5th, stating, "Through official symbols that fully embody the identity and future vision of Gyeonggi Province, we will enable residents to take pride in our province," as he introduced the newly developed GI and English slogan.

The new GI symbolically represents the Korean consonants 'ㄱ, ㄱ, ㄷ' from the name Gyeonggi. The upper portion of 'ㄱ, ㄱ, ㄷ' expressed in green represents Gyeonggi Province extending straight along a unified path, while the lower portion of 'ㄱ, ㄱ, ㄷ' in blue expresses the harmonious balance of straight and curved lines, representing a flexible yet resolute Gyeonggi Province.

The first 'ㄱ' represents 'Gyeong' (경) in Gyeonggi, with its upward-pointing lower image expressing Gyeonggi Province advancing toward prosperity based on fair values.

The middle 'ㄱ' represents 'Gi' (기) in Gyeonggi, with its upward-pointing lower image expressing Gyeonggi Province creating possibilities for a greater future. The 'ㄷ' on the right denotes 'Do' (도) in Gyeonggi, with its horizontal lower image signifying a province where diverse ways of life coexist.

Gyeonggi Green, the color used in the GI design, expresses nature, coexistence, eco-friendliness, and peace, while Gyeonggi Blue represents trust, energy, and future value.

The English slogan 'Go Great, Gyeonggi' solidifies Gyeonggi Province's status as South Korea's representative local government, signifying a province prospering together with its residents. By combining the English initial G with the Korean initial consonant ㄱ, it clearly conveys the province's identity.

The English slogan was created in connection with the GI design, conveying Gyeonggi Province's dynamism through italic typeface. The English slogan is intended for use in overseas marketing to enhance Gyeonggi Province's external image.

From March of last year, the province made efforts to extensively listen to residents' and experts' opinions over approximately 10 months to select final GI design candidates.

The province gathered resident opinions through keyword discovery for Gyeonggi Province's identity and photo exhibition events, as well as brand design and slogan idea competitions to be reflected in the new symbols.

Additionally, the province conducted the 'Gyeonggi New Face Design Project' targeting design major university students in the province, ensuring that fresh GI design ideas could be incorporated into symbol development.

Furthermore, meetings of the 'Official Symbols Development Expert Advisory Committee,' composed of experts from various fields including design, public relations, and marketing, enhanced the professionalism of the process.

The final symbols were selected by aggregating resident voting at 40%, expert advisory committee voting at 40%, and design evaluation panel voting at 20%.

The English slogan was finalized through expert advisory committee consultation and native speaker usability verification surveys (Global Cultural Check).

During the first half of this year, Gyeonggi Province will amend the 'Gyeonggi Province Symbol Management Ordinance' through provincial council deliberation and resolution, and officially adopt the GI design and English slogan.

Subsequently, the province plans to continuously expand awareness through online and offline promotion, establishing the symbols as official representations shared with residents.