PYEONGCHANG, Gangwon Province -- It seems like the PyeongChang Winter Games has a new, unofficial mascot: a human-faced bird named Inmyeonjo.
The Inmyeonjo stages a performance at the PyeongChang Olympics opening ceremony at PyeongChang, Gangwon Province, Friday. (Lee Sang-sub/The Korea Herald)
Soon after it was broadcast live, the bird quickly became a talking point among South Koreans -- and even among foreign viewers -- as many found the bird scary and even grotesque.
갑자기 인면조 등장으로 코리아 호러 무비된 점ㅠㅠ오행 어린이들의 운명이 걱정되는 비쥬얼 pic.twitter.com/cL2pgIwHre
— 텐더 (@minampeace46) 2018년 2월 9일
“I thought I was watching a horror movie,” said one Twitter user. “I would not have been able to forget that (horrific) face of Inmyeonjo if Kim Yuna had not appeared at the end of the ceremony,” said another.
But the bird soon started to receive rather favorable reviews, with some saying that more they looked at it, the better-looking it seemed.
Fan art featuring the Inmyeonjo has already plastered social media.
The hashtag “Drawing world’s best Inmyeonjo” was the top trending Korean keyword on Twitter.
#천하제일_인면조_그리기
— 긴죠 (@Gjnoel_) 2018년 2월 9일
인간들 놀랄까봐 사람으로도 변신해서 살아가는 그런 인면조 해주세오...( pic.twitter.com/NjEoyFd08f
평창올림픽 개막식 인면조 피규어로 만들어봤음 ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
— 발광목성인 (@jupiter1390) 2018년 2월 10일
I made Confucianism dragon from Pyeonchang olympic opening into figure#평창올림픽 #인면조 #인면조_트친소 #평창인면조 #PyongChang2018 #Confucius pic.twitter.com/aE7I6kfQKr
One Twitter user posted a drawing featuring the bird along with the official mascots of the Games – Soohorang (white tiger) and Bandabi (Asiatic black bear) – all together, expressing appreciation for them all.
Another user created an account named Inmyeonjo, attracting 1,026 followers as of Saturday afternoon. “I will protect those who have followed me, Thank you,” the person tweeted. It has been retweeted more than 830 times.
평 창 대 모 험
— 비정규직 노예☠️ (@LLL____b) 2018년 2월 9일
수호랑 & 반다비 vs 인면조
2월9일 개봉 pic.twitter.com/B7a1ZXhd8C
Inmyeonjo was also featured in a movie poster created by another Twitter user. In it, the official mascots of the games, Soohorang and Bandabi, are fearfully, and somewhat courageously, looking at the gigantic and intimidating Inmyeonjo. The movie’s title is “The Grand PyeongChang Adventure.”
Meanwhile, a man who claims to have designed the bird for the Olympics appeared on Twitter, appreciating the unexpected attention it has been receiving since Friday.
저는 인면조 디자인한 사람입니다. 뜻밖의 반응이 너무 놀랍네요. 우리 아이를 사랑해 주셔서 너무 감사합니다. ㅠㅠ #인면조 #2018평창동계올림픽 pic.twitter.com/r9JwJR5Ov0
— Il hwan Bae (@IlhwanBae1) 2018년 2월 10일
“I’m the person who designed the Inmyeonjo. Thanks for the love and attention to my baby,” he said, posting a picture of himself rehearsing with the creature in a studio.
In spite of its eerie appearance, Inmyeonjo was traditionally believed to live in paradise by Buddhists in the Goguryeo Kingdom. They believed only those with a pure heart would be able to hear the bird sing – Inmyeonjo was also believed to have the most beautiful voice in heaven.
By Park Ju-young, Claire Lee (jupark@herladcorp.com) (dyc@heraldcorp.com)
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