Gyeonggi Province's Mascot 'Bonggongi' Gains Recognition for Character Presence

[Suwon Ilbo=Kim Gapdong] Gyeonggi Province's official character 'Bonggongi' won the Excellence Award in the government and local government division at the '2024 Korea Local Government and Public Character Festival.'

The '2024 Korea Local Government and Public Character Festival' is a specialized awards ceremony for Korean public characters, hosted by the Korea Local Government and Public Character Festival Organizing Committee and organized by the Korea Culture Contents Licensing Association and Daejeon Tourism Organization. This year's awards ceremony was held on the 23rd at DCC Daejeon Convention Center.

The judging was conducted across a total of five categories: △government and local government division △public institution division △festival division △popularity award division △photogenic award division.

Introduced in 2022, Bonggongi has gained affection from Gyeonggi residents with its cute and friendly image. It has been evaluated as enhancing Gyeonggi Province's brand value through diverse content ranging from 2D and 3D animation to reels and mascot suit videos.

Bonggongi's popularity has also extended to merchandise sales. Bonggongi goods released in collaboration with local vulnerable community self-reliance organizations received overwhelming response, selling out shortly after the opening of an online smart store (smartstore.naver.com/bonggong). As of the end of October, Bonggongi's online smart store sales reached 146 million won.

The offline store that opened on the first floor of the Gyeonggi Province Government Building (30 Dochungno-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon) in April this year also achieved sales of 100 million won just 11 months after opening.

The province attributes the popularity of Bonggongi merchandise to customized product planning that resonates with Gyeonggi residents, as well as the value-based consumption of having all proceeds go back to those in need.

Bonggongi recently won the 'Best Award' in the Instagram category at the '10th 2024 SNS of the Year' (presented by the Korea Social Content Promotion Association).

Meanwhile, 'Bonggongi' takes its name as Gyeonggi Province's official character by arranging vertically the consonants 'ㅂ(b)+ㅎ(h)' and 'ㄱ(g)+ㅎ(h),' which represent the key values of 'change' and 'opportunity' of the 8th civilian government term. It also embodies the dictionary definition of 'Bonggong' (奉公), meaning to serve diligently for the nation and society while working in public service.

Lee Won-il, Gyeonggi Province's Communications and Planning Director, said, "I am very pleased and proud that many people have recognized the charm of Gyeonggi Province's character Bonggongi," adding, "We will continue to make Bonggongi more familiar through opportunities co-created with residents."