National Fire Agency Introduces 119 Rescue Dog Character Ilgu

The National Fire Agency introduced Ilgu, a 119 rescue dog character, in November 2023. Ilgu was selected through public participation, and its name was also chosen through a public contest.

Along with Ilgu's introduction, the National Fire Agency released emoticons for free. There are 16 KakaoTalk emoticons and 24 Naver OGQ emoticons, for a total of 40. The agency released emoticons on both KakaoTalk and Naver. Ilgu started being used as emoticons from the moment it was introduced.

Ilgu is a character based on the fire service's 119 rescue dogs. The National Fire Agency has characters such as Yeongi, Ungi, Kkumi and Rangi, and Ilgu is the newest addition. In effect, a character chosen and named by the public has joined the National Fire Agency's list of characters.

The public took part in selecting and naming the character, and the emoticons were released for free when it was unveiled. From choosing the character to using it, the public was involved throughout its introduction.

News of Ilgu's introduction was reported on November 30, 2023, by the fire industry publication Fire and Disaster Prevention News.