Online Survey Shows English-Speaking People Prefer ‘Hi Seoul’ Over Capital City’s New Slogan ‘I. Seoul. U’

The Seoul Metropolitan Government formally announced last month that "I. Seoul. U" is the new slogan for South Korea's capital city. The selection of the new slogan aims to give Seoul a brand new image to attract more tourists.

Korea Times reported Oct. 28 that "I. Seoul. U" triumphed over two other suggested slogans which are "Seoulmate" and SEOULing". Reports have revealed that the final selection of the new slogan was participated by nine experts and over 1,000 members of the general public.

All nine experts and 682 members of the general public chose "I. Seoul. U" as the new brand of South Korea's capital city, while "Seoulmate" garnered 232 votes only.

"It was very meaningful that Seoul citizens participated in the whole process from making to selecting the new slogan," says Seo Kyung Duk, a professor at Sungshin Women's University.

Seo was among the nine experts who participated in the selection of the new slogan for Seoul.

A Korean undergraduate defeated some 16,000 individuals who joined the slogan contest.

"With the new logo, I wanted to show the ever-changing vibrant and dynamic image of Seoul that we need to build," says Lee Ha Rin.

Meanwhile, some experts thought the new slogan is somewhat vague and hard to understand.

"I am not sure what they are trying to convey. It sounds like 'I saw you' or 'I sold you.' If they were trying to say that Seoul connects me and you, it might make sense a little, but not much really," says an American English teacher.

On the other hand, a recent survey revealed English-speaking people prefer the city's previous slogan "Hi Seoul - Soul of Asia" than the new one, as reported by Yonhap News Agency Saturday.

The online survey, which was conducted by SurveyMonkey, revealed 66 percent of the respondents said they are in favor of "Hi Seoul - Soul of Asia," while 12 percent answered they like "I. Seoul. U - City of Me and You."

63 percent said the previous slogan better represents Seoul as compared to 11 percent who favored the new slogan.

Respondents of the online survey were 114 Americans, 111 British and 106 Australians.