Category: Seoul

Looks like most English speakers prefer Hi Seoul to I.Seoul.U… https://t.co/K3eZwVsLxk

— Paul Matthews (@ajosshi) November 28, 2015

Itaewon Reborn https://t.co/42vVbZjahd

— koreabridge (@koreabridge) November 15, 2015

The Mayor of Seoul is defending the city’s new slogan I.Seoul.U by claiming that since it make no sense that it could mean anything:

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will stick to its new slogan, “I.Seoul.U,” Mayor Park Won-soon said Monday.

“Many slogans of cities around the world receive negative feedback at first,” he said during a luncheon with reporters at City Hall. “After a while, I expect the negative reactions will change.”

“Even if we start all over again and come up with a new slogan, it will face some sort of criticism. That cannot be avoided.”

This is the first time that the mayor expressed his opinion about the slogan.

“I.Seoul.U” was selected as the capital city’s slogan on Oct. 28, after beating two other finalists ― “Seoulmate” and “SEOULing.”

“I had expected the slogan would be received positively, but it wasn’t,” Park said.

“I nonetheless believe that the process of selecting the slogan was meaningful because it allowed citizens to participate.”

Addressing the criticism that the slogan is nonsensical and unclear, Park said he believes it is better to leave the interpretation open to the public rather than try to define the meaning.

For example, he noted, the slogan “Incredible India” is a great one, but because its meaning is unchangeable, it can only be used for a short time.

“On the other hand, ‘I.Seoul.U’ can mean anything,” Park said. [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but the city spent $700,000 on something the mayor admits has no meaning.

It will be interesting to see if this statue does become an iconic symbol for Gangnam:

The signature horse-riding dance move by South Korean rap sensation Psy will be made into a landmark in front of a large shopping complex in southern Seoul, the local district office said Friday.

The sculpture will consist of two fists positioned in the wrist movement of the dance routine from the 2012 music video for the hit “Gangnam Style,” according to the Gangnam District Office. From above, it will look like two hands wrapping around the Earth.

The office plans to place the sculpture near the COEX shopping and exhibition center before the end of the year, aiming to build a landmark symbolic of the area, such as London’s Piccadilly Circus and Chicago’s Cloud Gate.

It will be designed by Hwang Man-seok, an artist belonging to the Visual Information Design Association of Korea.  [Yonhap]

You can read more at the link.

Cattle and farming equipment are paraded on downtown Seoul streets on Oct. 28, 2015, ahead of Farmers’ Day on Nov. 11. The parade is also a ritual to wish for the advancement of the agricultural industry. (Yonhap)

I guess a slogan making sense in English was not high on the priority list for Seoul’s new slogan to market the city with:

“I.Seoul.You” has been selected as the capital city’s new slogan.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Wednesday that “I.Seoul.You” beat the two other candidates ― “Seoulmate” and “SEOULing” ― to replace its current slogan “Hi Seoul.”

“Seoulmate” won slightly more votes than “I.Seoul.You” in an online poll. However, in an on-the-spot poll held in the evening at Seoul Plaza, all nine experts and 682 out of a total 1,140 citizens voted for “I.Seoul.You,” which beat “Seoulmate” with only 232 votes.

Lee Ha-rin, a Korean student who studies philosophy in college, is the winner of the slogan contest, in which more than 16,000 people participated.

Prof. Kim Yoo-kyung of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, marketing company Playground CEO Kim Hong-tak and Prof. Seo Kyung-duk of Sungshin Women’s University were among the experts.

“It was very meaningful that Seoul citizens participated in the whole process from making to selecting the new slogan,” Seo said.

Kim Min-ki, who was in charge of the project, said that the new slogan will be used to rebrand the city globally.  [Korea Times]

You can read the rest at the link, but many critics have already weighed in on how non-sensical this slogan is. Maybe the Seoul government thinks English gibberish will market well in China to get tourists from there?

For an English slogan for a city this has to be the worst I have heard.  Can anyone think of any city with a worse slogan?

A boy wearing a taekwondo uniform poses for a photo in front of a 13-meter figure of “Robot Taekwon V,” a robot from a popular animation of the same title, during a ceremony in Seoul on Oct. 14, 2015, for the opening of the robot animation-themed museum. “Robot Taekwon V,” the nation’s first science fiction-themed animation released in 1976, was very popular among teens and children. (Yonhap)

Check out the Seoul bamdookaebi Night Market if you are near Yeouido in the nearby future. https://t.co/bJsEOZpiz9 pic.twitter.com/gQ1kf1QghI

— Hiexpat Korea (@HiExpat) October 8, 2015

I can understand Changdeok Palace and touring the DMZ making this Top 500 list, but Seoul Tower?  I was completely underwhelmed when visiting Seoul Tower, especially considering the cost:

Korea’s Changdeok Palace, the demilitarized zone and the N Seoul Tower have made it among the world’s top 500 places chosen by Lonely Planet, the world’s largest travel guide.

Lonely Planet rated the sights based on evaluations by its own guidebook writers and reader preferences. They were included in the Ultimate Travelist 2015, which can be ordered online.  [Chosun Ilbo]

You can read the rest at the link, but did anyone enjoy their visit to Seoul Tower?

The subway doors were once considered a good idea to reduce the deaths of people falling in front of oncoming trains, but now have become a safety liability after a subway workers was killed by the doors last month:

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to replace platform doors at subways with retractable doors.

The city government said Monday that it will replace doors at three subway stations by the end of the year.

The doors have been criticized for making evacuations during emergencies difficult as some are installed between billboards that cannot be moved.

All platform doors at stations on Line 9 can be opened, but 25 percent of the doors on Lines 1 through 8 are stationary.

Seoul plans to replace all platform doors down the road, but is in consultations with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport about receiving government grants as the replacement is expected to cost over 50 billion won.  [KBS World Radio]