Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.
By Kang Seung-woo
The public may get more familiar with terms used by the Air Force thanks to pictograms created by one of its members, SSgt. Kim Hyeon-jun.
SSgt. Kim Hyeon-jun / Courtesy of ROK Air Force
Pictograms, also known as pictographs, are ideograms that convey meanings through their pictorial resemblance to physical objects.
“While promoting the Air Force, I needed images to more effectively visualize it,” Kim, who works at the Office of Public Affairs, said in an interview with The Korea Times.
“It was a pity that people only talked about fighters or pilots when it comes to the Air Force, even though we have more than that. Believing that if we had pictograms that were more accessible to the public, they could learn more about the Air Force, I decided to create them.”
Kim, a design major at Hongik University, began making pictograms in June, with the process taking four months; and the Air Force has been distributing them free of charge on its official blog since October.
A total of 440 pictograms are divided into 26 categories ranging from aircraft and weapons to ranks, according to the Air Force.
“I tried to create various types of pictograms that are easily comprehensible for those who are not familiar with the Air Force and also focused on their extensibility which would enable users to edit them,” Kim said.
“When people say they can easily understand what each pictograph represents, I think that my efforts have been worthwhile,” said the 22-year-old, who began his military service in August of last year.
“In addition, I am proud of myself given that I can contribute to promoting the Air Force to the public and I hope that my pictograms will be helpful to improve communication between the Air Force and the public.”
Currently, Kim is a member of the Armed Forces Medical Command's Doctors on the Cloud. He is in charge of designing the team's coronavirus checkup service.
He seeks to continue design works that contribute to the community.
“After finishing my military service, I want to design something like the Air Force pictograms that have a positive effect on society,” he said.
Kang Seung-woo is the Business Desk editor at The Korea Times. Prior to this position, he covered politics, national affairs, finance and sports.