Jinju City Introduces Ayo, a Leopard Cat Friend for Mascot Hamo

Jinju City, South Gyeongsang Province, introduced Ayo, a friend character for its character Hamo, in September 2024. Ayo was developed jointly by Jinju City and the Jinju Culture and Tourism Foundation, and the city also completed copyright registration for Ayo along with its development. News of Ayo's debut was reported by The Fact on September 19, 2024.

Ayo is based on the leopard cats that lived at Jinyang Lake. Jinju City used the local lake, Jinyang Lake, and the animals that lived there as the starting point for the character. Ayo is drawn wearing a pearl necklace around its neck.

Ayo was created as one of Hamo's friends characters. By adding Ayo, Jinju City and the Jinju Culture and Tourism Foundation expanded the character universe centered on Hamo. The approach places a friend character, developed with the foundation, beside the city's character Hamo. Development and copyright registration took place together in the same month.

Besides Hamo and Ayo, Jinju City's characters include Nongae. In September 2024, the leopard cat character Ayo joined the list of Jinju City characters.