After the June 3 local elections brought a change in leadership to Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, many online users have expressed hopes for the return of the beloved mascot "Goyang Goyangi."
The renewed interest comes as Mayor-elect Min Kyung-seon pledged to revive the cat character as part of the city's branding efforts.
Goyang first began using Goyang Goyangi on its official social media accounts in 2012. The mascot-driven strategy quickly attracted attention, helping the city cultivate a distinctive and charming "cat city" image that became recognized well beyond the region.
Beginning in 2013, Goyang won numerous awards, including top honors in the public sector at the Korea Internet Communication Awards and the Korea Social Media Awards. The city was also named one of the nation's best local governments for social media engagement for five consecutive years through 2017.
The popular character, however, was largely sidelined following a change in the city's administration in 2022, which ended 12 years of liberal leadership that had governed the city since 2010. The decision was largely political, according to local news reports.
In a 2025 social media survey conducted by local character-branding company Localer between June and October, 95.9 percent of more than 23,000 respondents said they were "very disappointed" by the mascot's disappearance.
Comments on Goyang City's official Instagram account over the past year have repeatedly called for the mascot's return, with users writing remarks such as, "Why did Goyang abandon Goyang Goyangi?" and "Just bring Goyang Goyangi back."
The issue even drew national attention.
In January, the mascot's disappearance was featured on MBC's current affairs program "True Story Expedition." The episode highlighted the difficulties faced by businesses that had produced and supplied Goyang Goyangi merchandise after the character fell out of use. One company reportedly suffered losses of more than 20 million won ($13,000).
In response to the episode, a Goyang City official reportedly said Monday, "Going forward, we plan to communicate more closely with residents and make city promotions more citizen-friendly."
ssh@heraldcorp.com
