KOICA's PeKO Friends Reach Public Character Festival Finals for Second Straight Year

PeKO Friends, the character group of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), has reached the finals of the 2026 South Korea Local Government and Public Character Festival for the second year in a row. Bridge Economy reported the news of the finals entry and a support event on July 27, 2026.

PeKO Friends is a group of five characters, each representing one of KOICA's five core values, the 5Ps: peace, people, prosperity, planet and partnership. Along with PeKO Friends, KOICA's characters also include PeKO.

PeKO Friends has also been used in many places outside the festival. The group was released as Kakao emoticons, took part in K-Illustration Fair Seoul 2026 and opened a pop-up store at Korea Job World. In Nepal, Algeria and Vietnam, it was used to promote official development assistance projects.

KOICA held a support verification event during the voting period. It offered the most active participant a limited-edition goods package made up of a plush doll, a cheering stick and a luggage belt. The public vote for the finals ran from July 20 to August 21, 2026.