Hangul and Korean National Identity
I must admit that I didn’t immediately realise that the emblem for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics (평창) is based on hangul characters!
And with a closer look back over 2018, I see that hangul has been used to symbolise not only national identity but also a shared culture with North Korea.
What’s the meaning behind the PyeongChang Winter Olympics emblem?
I like this simple design. It looks like a stadium with a star (or possibly snowflake) above it. Whilst this is partly true, the design is actually based on parts of hangul letters.
So first we’ve got the character called ‘pieup‘ which is the first sound P (ㅍ) of Pyeongchang.
And then the ‘snowflake’ is a stylised version of the character ‘chieut‘, the sound for CH (ㅊ) in PyeongChang.
(The branding for the Pyeongchang Olympics was done by global brand consultancy Interbrand).
So together the P (ㅍ) is the stadium and the C (ㅊ) is a snowflake which represents not only snow but also the star athletes.
Apparently the design follows the philosophy of hangul symbolising a gathering place where the three elements of heaven, earth, and people are in harmony. (there’s a detailed explanation on the Olympic Homepage.)
⛸
National Identity in Olympic Emblems
Usually, official emblems for the Olympic Games have some reference to a famous landmark or motif relating to the host nation. Not letters of the alphabet.
For example, Sydney 2000 used an image of a running athlete with legs like a boomerang. Before that, Calgary (1988) chose a stylised snowflake that also looked like a maple leaf. And the emblem for the upcoming Olympics to be held in Paris in 2024 clearly symbolises the Eiffel Tower.
So the PyeongChang emblem was unusual as it used hangul rather than a famous landmark to represent its national identity. Even though this might not be clear to anyone unfamiliar with hangul, the emblem still looks cute with the image of a snowflake by a stadium.
So what about the Olympic emblems from other countries?
LONDON OLYMPICS
Controversially, the London 2012 emblem avoided anything to suggest Britishness altogether!
At first glance it just looks like a quirky jigsaw puzzle. I couldn’t even see that it depicts the year 2012. (Was that just me?)
According to the International branding consultancy that created the emblem, Wolff Olins, the free design is meant to stand for ‘Everyone’s Olympics‘ and has a ‘post-nationalistic intention‘ purposely avoiding any hint of Britishness.
⛸
Which other nations have used writing in the official emblem?
Writing systems have been used before to emphasise the messages that the host countries want to send to the world.
For instance, the Sochi emblem for 2014 used the Internet address in English. In fact it was the first emblem to be made up of only text and no image. The internet address created a modern and digital look and represented the country’s ‘commitment to innovation’.
Then the emblem for the 2008 Beijing Olympics was based around the Chinese writing system and is instantly recognisable as Chinese.
Entitled ‘Chinese seal-dancing Beijing’ it looks like a stone seal used by calligraphers to stamp their names on their work. And the character itself looks like a running athlete and represents welcoming friends from all over the world to participate in the games.
⛸
The 2018 Inter-Korean Summit
Later in the year in April, Hangul appeared at the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit. A piece of hangul calligraphy by famous calligrapher Kim Eung-hyun (pen name Yeocho,1927-2007) symbolised ‘that the two Koreas consist of one people‘.
(By the way, there’s a beautiful calligraphy museum dedicated to Kim Eung Hyun in Gangwon-do.)
The summit meeting between South Korean President Moon Jae In and the North Korean leader Kim Jung Un was a historic moment. It was the first time for North Korean leader Kim Jung Un to step over the border at Panmunjom.
So obviously there was a lot of preparation for this major event…
First of all, there was the renovation of the Peace House. And according to the official website every single piece of furniture and artwork was chosen with care to emphasise the theme of Welcome, Thoughtfulness, Peace and Hope.
For instance, the summit table was 2018 mm in diameter, symbolising the year of the historic summit!
picture: korea.net
Even the kind of wood for the furniture was important.
In the end, walnut wood was chosen as it doesn’t tend to bend or warp symbolising strong and unwavering inter-Korean relations.
Then what about all the accessories and furnishings? So there were white porcelain vases representing prosperity and blue carpets symbolising aspirations for a brighter, peaceful future.
And finally Art. Paintings of Korean mountains including Geumgang mountains which lie on the border between the two countries symbolised once shared land.
Hangul Calligraphy at the 2018 Inter-Korean Summit
picture source: Blue House
The hangul work displayed at the Summit was a photograph by Kim Jung-man of the original calligraphy piece by Kim Eung Hyeon. The text is taken from the first book written about hangul (hunminjeongeum). Read more about that here.
The original calligraphy piece was done to celebrate the anniversary of the creation of hangul. But in this photograph the colours have been brightened and the photograph also highlights the first letter of the family name of each of the two leaders.
The first letter of the North Korean leader’s name – K for Kim (ㄱ) – is red. The M for Moon (ㅁ) is blue.
The highlighted colours of blue and red are meant to symbolise hope for good relations making the Korean Peninsula a land of peace. There’s more info about the other art works on display at the Summit and their symbolic meaning here.
⛸
So it’s been quite a year for hangul. And I think these two examples emphasise its versatility too. It can be playful with fun and modern abstract images and then change into formal attire ready for an official occasion with a more solemn tone!
Related posts:
Beyond Line: The Art of Korean Writing
