On October 21, the new character emblem of the University of Seoul (UOS) was launched. Since the symbolic animal of UOS is the Jangsangotmae (Jangsan Cape Falcon, in English), a new emblem made up of this animal was selected through a vote. Jangsangotmae is a mythical falcon from Jangsangot, located on Yongyon peninsula in present-day South Hwanghae Province, North Korea. In the myth, it is a vigorous falcon that knows how to protect the weak and let villagers live peacefully by embracing them. 

Even though Jangsangotmae was UOS’s symbolic animal, there were no standardized images, so it was unfeasible to use in school promotions. In addition, it could not present a unified image of the school because the images used in varsity jackets were all different. Due to these reasons, UOS started to develop its trade mark, Irumae, a character inspired by a baby falcon. The new emblem was chosen by vote, in which a total of 2,126 students participated. There were two drafts of the character emblem, and the first draft image was chosen by 78.9 percent of respondents. The Academic Affairs Committee finally adopted the first draft of the emblem.

To get more detailed information about the new character emblem, The UOS Times interviewed Lee Yun-seok (Dept. of Urban Administration, ’20), the director of the Public Relations Department of the Student Council.

Q1. Is the character emblem created by the Student Council officially able to be used in school like the so-called barcode symbol?
A1. The character emblem was created by the UOS Office of Planning Affairs. The president of the Student Council and I, the director of the Student Council’s Public Relations, participated in the Publicity Subcommittee, which deliberates on the matter to state the opinion and make a final decision. The New Jangsangotmae emblem will be used officially for all school merchandise. 

Q2. Could you explain the meanings of the new character emblem?
A2. It is based on the strong and swift Jangsangotmae, symbolizing bravery, patience, and excellence. It shows the appearance of a falcon flying with its wide and long wings, rushing toward the goal, while revealing its claws.

Q3. Currently, a barcode mark is used in school, so please explain whether the new character emblem is replacing the original mark or will be used with other symbols. 
A3. In other universities, insignia, symbols, logos, and character emblems are used separately. However, in UOS, no character emblems existed until now. Due to the absence of the mark, the marks used in varsity jackets, school merchandise, et cetera were not unified and were all used differently. To solve this problem, we produced the standardized version of the character emblem, and this new emblem will be used separately from other marks, just like other universities.

Q4. Could you explain how the emblem was produced? Please explain the purpose of making this emblem and the kind of process it went through as well. 
A4. The Irumae character, based on UOS’s symbolic animal Jangsangotmae, has gained much popularity since 2020, but no character emblem existed. Then, there was a request to produce a unique mark of the school different from Irumae, which became the background of creating a new character emblem. Several drafts were produced through the image analysis of Jangsangotmae and other universities, and among them, the most appropriate draft was selected and developed. The current character emblem finally came out of this process. Some faculty members and external specialists revised and developed such matters in the Publicity Subcommittee.

Q5. In what ways are you planning to use the Jangsangotmae character emblem?
A5. It will be used in a way to generate publicity for UOS. In particular, we are planning to use the emblem in school merchandise. It will be used in daily necessities such as clothes like jumpers, notebooks, shopping bags, mug cups, et cetera. Additionally, the Student Council is currently in the process of producing toppers following the result of a demand survey.

Most universities have their symbolic animals and the character emblem made of them. Now, UOS also has an emblem alongside the barcode mark, which is the official logo of UOS. The absence of the character emblem caused problems, such as a lack of unity. This emblem solves the problems. From now on, we must cherish the new character emblem of UOS. 

Lee Seung-hyun
nicole3212@uos.ac.kr