Gangwon Mascots at a Glance, From Potato Ongsimi to Sisittakttaki

According to the Daily Mascot Mascot Directory, 23 mascots are active in the Gangwon region, including Gangwon FC's Ongsimi and Ungsimi, the Gangneung Danoje Festival's Sisittakttaki and Wonju's Kkongdeuri.

A potato, an Asiatic black bear and a black tiger

Gangwon FC has two mascots. Ongsimi is a talking potato, and Ungsimi is an Asiatic black bear that lives in the mountains of Gangwon. FC Gangneung (Gangneung Citizen Football Club Foundation) has Kkamo, a black tiger whose backstory casts it as the cheerleading captain at the stadium. Merchandise is sold at the Kkamo Store.

Danoje deities and mask drama figures become characters

Festival characters often carry local traditions over directly. The Gangneung Danoje Committee and Gangneung Danoje Preservation Society created Maiden Jeong from the figure worshipped as the female guardian deity of Daegwallyeong, and Sisittakttaki from a fierce-faced figure in the Gwanno mask drama. The Hoengseong Hanwoo Festival, hosted and organized by the Hoengseong Culture and Tourism Foundation, has the characters Haenuri and Cheongnu. Haenuri guides visitors through the festival as a hometown friend. The Jeongseon Arirang Cultural Foundation, which organizes the Jeongseon Arirang Festival, has a mascot named Ari.

Wonju uses different characters for different jobs

Besides its main mascot, Wonju uses separate characters for different purposes. Kkongdeuri, unveiled and registered for copyright in December 2020, draws on a pheasant legend from Chiaksan Mountain and appears in tourism, culture and festival promotions. Eco Anjel, the clean environment character, is a personified butterfly and can be seen on the city's environment website.

The Wonju public health center and mental health welfare center run Nodami, a no-smoking character, and Dangbok, a suicide prevention character. Nodami is used on items such as anti-smoking slogans on stairs. Dangbok was chosen from the top entries in a 2021 contest held by the mental health welfare center.

School characters born from school flowers and trees

School mascots often start from school symbols such as the school flower and school tree. At Yanggu Elementary School, Yang (Jumoki) wears the school tree, the yew, on its head, and Gu (Rose) wears the school flower, the rose. Put the two names together and they spell the school name, Yanggu. Sokcho Girls' High School's Jahongi was made by a student, based on the school flower, the pomegranate. Yangyang Middle School's Morang takes its name from a combination of peony, magnolia and child.

Gangwon Life Science High School has three characters: Sinbirang, a tiger from the school logo; Suryeoni, a fairy who dreams of the future and is named after the school flower, the water lily; and Gangsaengi, a fairy in charge of dreams and careers.

Some characters came out of contests. Chungongi of Chuncheon Mechanical Technical High School was born in a 2024 school contest and redesigned in 2026. GangNeung YeongDong University's Yuksami (Yugi and Sami) went through a contest under an innovation support project and was finally selected as the university's official character on December 17, 2025. Kangwon National University's Gomduri is a mascot featuring the bear, a symbol of Gangwon, and is cast as an all-round entertainer. The university also rents out a Gomduri costume.

Bears, tigers and local stories

The animals that appear most often among Gangwon mascots are bears and tigers. Ungsimi and Gomduri are bears, and Kkamo and Sinbirang are tigers. Many characters also carry local products and stories, such as the potato (Ongsimi), the Chiaksan Mountain pheasant (Kkongdeuri) and Danoje figures (Maiden Jeong and Sisittakttaki).

Some characters have won awards. Gamtan Friends, the brand characters of the Gangwon Design Promotion Agency, represent Gamtan Road, a special brand for former coal industry areas including Taebaek, Samcheok, Yeongwol and Jeongseon. They won a 2026 Red Dot award.

[Note] Daily Mascot collects information through Submit a Tip to add mascots not yet listed in the Mascot Directory.