Research Institute Mascots in 2024, From Naming Contests to New Friends

Research institutes in South Korea kept up a stream of mascot news in 2024. One asked the public to name its mascot. Another held an event where people drew its mascot together, and one introduced a new character family at the end of the year. Mascots appeared in webtoons and on social media promoting research results.

Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB): Seppo, Named by the Public

In April 2024, the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) named its official mascot Seppo through a public naming contest and vote. Seppo is a character based on the motifs of a cell, a living organism and a heart. KRIBB used Seppo in "Seppo's Research Letter," a research results webtoon serialized on Instagram and its blog.

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI): Etturi and a Name-Guessing Event

In May 2024, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) held a name-guessing event for its mascot Etturi. Etturi is ETRI's mascot. News of the Etturi name-guessing event was recorded on ETRI's official blog.

Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH): Dr.K, Drawn Together

The Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) held "Dakku," a drawing event for its social media character Dr.K, for two weeks from Aug. 5 to Aug. 18, 2024. KITECH distributed Dr.K templates and collected participants' drawings through Instagram and its blog. Dr.K is the character used on KITECH's blog and Instagram.

Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT): Chemie Friends, Unveiled at Year's End

In December 2024, the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT) unveiled its character family, Chemie Friends. Chemie Friends consists of Chemie, Ele, Atom, Ion, Mole and Chebot. The character names include terms used in chemistry, such as atom, ion and mole.

The four research institutes each handled their mascots differently. KRIBB and ETRI held events built around names, while KITECH drew participation with a drawing event. KRICT introduced a character family of six characters at the end of the year. From webtoons promoting research results to social media events and a character family, research institutes used their mascots in many different ways in 2024.