Hello! from Hannam: The Symbol of Seoul

I had plans today, after taking care of all things domestic, to go see this photography exhibit at the Seoul Arts Center entitled "Edward Curtis and the North American Indian - Sacred Legacy". Hosted by the U.S. Embassy, the show introduces the work and life of the great American photographer/anthropologist, Edward Curtis and his photos that recorded the history of the North American Indians. However, you'll have to wait until tomorrow for that experience because public transportation was not on my side today. After not understanding why the bus I was supposed to take kept letting people off well before the bus stop, then darting back into traffic, not proceeding to the actual bus stop to pick anyone up, I got frustrated and just came back home. Part late start, part exhausted from extra long morning run, tomorrow's the last day of the exhibit, so I'll make sure to take the much more understandable subway to get there.

So instead, we'll go back to some basics: What is the Symbol of Seoul?

Every major city in the world has multiple symbols. New York has the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty; Paris has the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame; London has Big Bend and Buckingham Palace. What comes to mind when you think of Seoul?.....M*A*S*H* perhaps? That answer or blank stares are why Seoul has been trying really hard to create an image for themselves over the last couple of years. Seoul has long suffered from an image problem or lack thereof and there was never a city image to match its developed infrastructure. There are multiple negative connotations that are easily recognizable such as horrible traffic, the Korean War and pollution but there was no real icon for marketing purposes.

That is, until the Haechi was announced as a city symbol in May 2008. Haechi (pronounced heh-chee) is an ancient Korean symbol and is a guardian of justice, a mythical beast that can discern good and evil. Part lion, part dragon, the Haechi first began appearing in Korea in the Silla era (57BC―AD935), when it was used as a symbol on official uniforms. After the establishment of the Joseon kingdom (1392-1910), statues of the Haechi were placed before palaces and homes to protect them from misfortune, such as fires.

China and Japan have Haechi too, but they differ quite a bit from Korea's. The Korean Haechi is rather happy and cute, perhaps a bit silly looking. I've seen quite a few variations of Haechi on my travels around the city and they are very happy, welcoming and mythical. Whether they're equivalent to the power of an actual landmark like the Eiffel Tower or Big Bend, I'm not sure. Haechi is only three years old, so he's got a lot of work to do to bring Seoul's image to the world. To be honest, I'm not sure why the city didn't choose the N Seoul Tower as the symbol of Seoul. It's quite iconic, literally in the center of the city and plays a big role in giving the city some sort of recognizable skyline. It's comparable to other famous city icons in my opinion. I suppose the "protection" that Haechi provides is a little more desirable.