Seouled my Soul to Hechi: The city's popular mascot takes over ramyeon, snacks and coasters

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Seouled my Soul to Hechi: The city's popular mascot takes over ramyeon, snacks and coasters

Published: 18 Jul. 2025, 07:00 Updated: 18 Jul. 2025, 16:01

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Seoul's mascot Hechi walks around Seoul Plaza in Jung District, central Seoul, on May 11. [NEWS1]

Dozens of visitors stream in and out of a store at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in central Seoul on a rainy Wednesday afternoon, browsing goods ranging from ramyeon and candles to stationery and hoodies. At first glance, the products may seem ordinary — until shoppers notice the distinctly Seoul-inspired touches: the city’s mascot Hechi or its official slogan, “Seoul, My Soul.”

The store is filled with items bearing the city’s branding and visual identity, from magnets and apparel to snacks like almonds and instant noodles. Most of these products are part of an expanding line of official Seoul merchandise, a project the Seoul Metropolitan Government has been actively developing in recent years.

The Seoul My Soul stores, city merchandise shops which first opened in June 2024, have collectively attracted 180,000 visitors as of last month, according to the Seoul Tourism Organization. The shops are in major tourist hubs like DDP and Myeong-dong.

Visitors browse Seoul city goods at the Seoul My Soul shop in Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Jung District, central Seoul, on July 16. [CHO JUNG-WOO]

Just this month, the city released a new batch of goods, including Hechi-themed candles and coasters, further expanding its catalog.

And Seoul isn’t alone. Across Korea, local governments are increasingly turning to souvenirs as a way to showcase regional identity and connect with both tourists and residents.

Ramyeon with a regional twist

One unexpectedly popular product in the Seoul My Soul merchandise line is ramyeon.

Seoul Ramyeon [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

“By rebranding, we wanted to make the city’s new identity feel more familiar,” said an official from Seoul’s brand division.

“The idea for Seoul Ramyeon came from our desire to create something that could represent the daily lives of busy Seoulites.”

The product, developed in collaboration with food company Pulmuone, uses non-fried noodles for a healthier option. It comes in two varieties — soup-based and jjajang (black bean sauce) — and sold over 1 million units in just five months after its launch in February 2024.

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo, second from left, tries the city's Kkumdori Ramyeon in Dong District, Daejeon, on June 9. [NEWS1]

Other cities have followed suit. In June, Daejeon introduced “Kkumdori Ramyeon,” named after its mascot from the 1993 Daejeon Expo.

“We decided to produce ramyeon because we thought it would be easily accessible to people,” said an official from Daejeon’s tourism promotion division, adding that the city rebranded its decades-old mascot and introduced Kkumdori’s family members in December 2023.

City pride in every product

City-branded merchandise goes far beyond instant noodles.

In September 2024, Seoul launched a chicken-flavored almond in collaboration with snack brand HBAF. The flavor, inspired by the classic Korean pairing of fried chicken and beer, was designed with tourists in mind.

The city has also teamed up with fashion brands like Musinsa to release apparel and accessories, including T-shirts, caps and umbrellas. Seoul’s merchandise catalog now spans everything from incense sticks and pillows to candles, eye masks, tote bags and hoodies.

Hechi-themed neck pillow [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

“Our goal is to offer a variety of products that let visitors take a piece of Seoul home with them,” said an official from the city’s brand planning team.

Following the popularity of Kkumdori Ramyeon, Daejeon recently added a new item to its lineup: makgeolli, a traditional Korean rice wine, also featuring the city mascot.

Other standout products include a fabric doll keychain of Bucheon Hands Up, the mascot of Bucheon in Gyeonggi, a drawstring bag featuring Boogi, the mascot of Busan, and a blanket featuring Good-bobbi, a character representing Miryang in South Gyeongsang.

A list of Hechi-themed merchandise on online DDP Design Store [SCREEN CAPTURE]

"In the past, such goods were mostly souvenirs like cups and dolls, but now the trend has shifted toward character branding and merging with other forms, such as food," said Lee Hoon, a tourism professor at Hanyang University, noting that the types of products have been diversifying.

The power of mascots

City mascots have become key to driving merchandise sales.

In Seoul, products featuring Hechi and the Soul Friends characters are consistently among top sellers. Hechi is a fuzzy pink divine guardian accompanied by guardian gods Joo, a red bird, Young, a blue dragon, Hou, a white tiger and Moo, a black tortoise.

“Hechi is popular across age groups — among teenagers and people in their 30s and 40s alike,” said a city official, adding that some items were temporarily limited to one per person due to high demand.

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo and city mascot Kkumdori showcase the city's ramyeon in Dong District, Daejeon, on June 9. [NEWS1]

As of Thursday, random figurines and Hechi key chains were sold out and unavailable on the DDP Design Store’s online shop, which carries official Seoul-branded goods.

A portion of the profits from collaborations with private companies is donated to social contribution programs, while revenue generated from city-produced goods is funneled into the following year’s municipal budget.

According to the 2023 Character Industry White Paper released by the Korea Creative Content Agency, 67.1 percent of respondents said that creating characters for government institutions or using them in promotional campaigns was effective.

Joayong pop-up stores in Yongin, Gyeonggi [JOONGANG ILBO]

Another character used for successfully branding a city is Joayong, a cuddly green dragon mascot representing Yongin in Gyeonggi.

Since April 2022, the city has been promoting the character through merchandise sold at a shop in Giheung Station, offering mugs, plush toys, pens and bags. The merchandise is produced and sold by the city's social enterprise that supports low-income individuals through job training and employment.

It’s not just cities creating their own mascots, but also district and county offices. Songpa District in southern Seoul has its tiger characters, Haha and Hoho, while Jeongseon County in Gangwon is known for its mascot, Wawagun.

"The act of buying [regional] character goods could be seen as a way for visitors to be hip and trendy," Prof. Lee said, adding that it is "a way of prolonging the memory of traveling in the area.”

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]