2026 Public Character Festival Opens Public Vote for Finals

The public vote for the finals of the 2026 South Korea Local Government and Public Character Festival was held from July 20 to Aug. 21, 2026. Organizations that reached the finals each ran vote verification events to gather support.

The Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities' Janggo and Goyongi and the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education's Busyeon reached the finals for the second year in a row. The Busan education office held a cheer photo event. The National Health Insurance Service reached the finals with Little Geoni, Gangi, Gyuni and Deongi, and ran vote verification events on its blog and Instagram. The National Medical Center also reached the finals with Dalgu and Salgu, characters that promote emergency room etiquette, the doctor helicopter and Moonlight Children's Hospitals, and held a vote verification event.

In the public vote, the Seoul Volunteer Center's Hana, Maum and Woori received 7,706 votes. The Korea Gas Safety Corporation's Gas Rangers and Someongi received 6,442 votes, the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation's aTTi 6,070, the Korea Nuclear International Cooperation Foundation's KONI 4,554, the Korea National Park Service's Seolaengchoni 4,424, and the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences' Radi 3,374. Among local government characters, Jeonbuk State's Tourmong & Passmong & Torimong received 6,709 votes.

Namwon's Hyangi and Mongi and Hampyeong County's tourism character Hwangbaki also reached the finals, and Hampyeong County held a vote verification prize event. Yangsan's Yangsan Friends reached the finals in the tourism and festival category. Yangsan City spent 120 million won ($87,000) to produce 12 Yangsan Friends 3D videos and four webtoons, with the plum blossom character Maerong in the lead role.