Busan city said on the 26th that the city character "Boogi" won the grand prize at the "2025 Korea Character Awards."
The "Korea Character Awards" is an event organized by Digital Chosun and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), and others. It selects characters with design that has aesthetics, creativity, and symbolism across the corporations, public institutions, and local governments institutional sector.
"Boogi" is a character inspired by the seagull, the symbol of Busan, and embodies the city's history and locality. It is credited with expressing Busan's energy, humor, and warmth while continuing various activities based on citizen empathy.
The city also produced various content using Boogi and actively carried out public outreach.
In particular, the "Jagalchi Boogi package" with Lotte Shopping and Nongshim, and the short film production of "Boogi Tube," are cited as cases that enhanced the industrial applicability and scalability of the city character.
In 2021, the city became the first local government nationwide to open Boogi character copyright property for free, supporting local small and medium-sized companies in using intellectual property (IP). In 2023, it also joined the IP transaction platform "WiTS Shop," building a paid sales system.
Busan city Spokesperson Won Yeong-il said, "This grand prize recognizes the results of 'Boogi' going beyond a simple character to serve as a channel of communication in the daily lives of Busan residents," adding, "We will continue to expand citizen-participation content and strengthen collaboration systems with various corporations to develop 'Boogi' into a global city brand asset."