Meet Moongcho: The story of the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games Mascot
With the Opening Ceremony just around the corner, the official mascot of Gangwon 2024 will be one of the main attractions. Find out what Moongcho represents, and how it was created by the youth of the Republic of Korea.
Ever since Shuss appeared on his skis in an at the Olympic Winter Games Grenoble 1968, mascots have served as popular ambassadors of the Olympic Movement.
With the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games [YOG] just aroind the corner, it’s now time to introduce its mascot Moongcho, whose mission is to show the world that young people can create a better future through peaceful coexistence and unity through sport.
The mascot was unveiled in a celebratory event on 19 January 2023 at the Yongpyong resort in PyeongChang, featuring honorary ambassadors Kim Yuna (Vancouver 2010 figure skating women’s singles Olympic champion), and Kim Yeri (Buenos Aires 2018 YOG breaking bronze medallist).
Below, we take a look at how Moongcho was created, what it represents, and what inspired the winning designer.
Who is Gangwon 2024 mascot Moongcho?
Moongcho’s name is derived from the Korean word “Moongchida,” which means to bring together various thoughts and powers.
Born of a snowball that was used in a snowball fight between PyeongChang 2018 mascots Soohorang and Bandabi, it inherited the sportsmanship of its Winter Olympics predecessors.
While every snowball has a unique shape, they all share in the common value that they're made of snow, and likewise the young athletes at Gangwon 2024 can unite and share their dreams whilst growing together through the YOG.
There are no winners or losers in snowball fights, and Moongcho encourages everyone to embrace every moment and enjoy the games based on the value and spirit of the YOG.
Just like the 1,900 athletes that will descend upon Gangwon, the mascot also wears goggles and a scarf, runs with passion and fearlessness.
Moongcho is also always willing to help its friends in need.
How was Moongcho chosen?
The YOG aims to share, communicate, and grow together through interacting with the youth.
As such, Moongcho was brought to life through a collaborative process that involved young people in the Republic of Korea submitting designs as part of a nation-wide contest.
The top seven designers were invited to participate in an internship where experts, who participated in the PyeongChang 2018 mascot production process, helped to improve the quality of their submissions in terms of storytelling and design.
A judging panel then selected Park Su-yeon's submission as the winner, and Moongcho was born!
The visual design major spent days reading Gangwon folktale books in her local library and was inspired by their snowy landscapes.
"The Winter Youth Olympics is a gathering of young people from all over the world to enjoy a festival through sports, and I immediately thought that a snowball fight, Park said.
"As the saying goes, ‘Keep your head cool, your heart warm’, and I came up with this idea through constantly thinking and thinking.
"Because of the me of yesterday who struggled to achieve my dream, I think the present me and the future me exist."