KIOST announces winners of character and slogan contest

Sea nymph "Kio," marine science robot "Haeyangi" and 4 others
selected as winners and runners-up from among 793 entries

The Republic of Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI) announced on May 31 the winners of its contest for characters and slogans to represent the soon-to-be launched Republic of Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST). The public contest was held from April 23 to May 13.

KORDI said the competition was to commemorate the inauguration of KIOST and to generate public sympathy for the importance of ocean research.

People with various ba

ckgrounds, from students and housewives to office workers and freelancers, participated in the contest, submitting 793 entries, including 53 characters and 740 entries in the slogan category. Six of them were chosen as winners and runners-up through three rounds of screening by KORDI officials and outside experts.

In the character category, the sea nymph "Kio" (entered by Lee Chang-geun) was chosen as the winner. The runner-up awards went to "Haeyangi" (Kim Dae-yeong), for representing marine science and technology of the future, and "Ara & Ari" (Kim Seok-won) who cheerfully embody the hopes and visions of the marine world in the images of a shark and a dolphin.

In the slogan category, "Feel the Ocean, Fill the Future" (by Kim Sun-ja) won first prize. The two runners-up were "Power that Moves the Seas, Dreams that Light the Future" (Jeong Gwang-hyeong) and "Center of Ocean Research, Leader in Science and Technology" (Hwang Seon-rye).

The winners were given their awards from the Minister of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, along with a cash prize of 1 million won each. The runners up were presented with prizes from the KORDI president along with cash prizes of 0.5 million won each. More information is available at the KORDI website (www.kordi.re.kr). The awards will be presented during the ceremony for the inauguration of KIOST on July 4.

It was noted that many of the contest submissions were by people living in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do and Busan. The contestants in the character category included many in their 20s, university students and women. In the slogan category, a majority of contestants were those in their 20s to 40s, university students and salaried men.