KRX launches promotion campaign of its bull and bear characters

Official characters of Korea Exchange (KRX) personifying a bull and a bear / Courtesh of KRX

Korea Exchange (KRX), the country’s stock market operator, is strengthening promotion featuring its personified characters "Hwangbi," a bull, and "Woongbi," a bear.

The characters have been used for the bourse operator’s social media and special events, but have not been widely recognized by the public. In response, KRX is launching a prompotional campaign to raise awareness.

The KRX said it plans to create large inflatable figures of Hwangbi and Woongbi and install them at the bourse operator’s office in Seoul. The six-meter installments will be exhibited from Nov. 6 to 17, to increase public recognition of the characters. The inflatable sculptures will be exhibited in Busan from Nov. 20 to 28, adding to the city's efforts to host the World Expo 2030.

The operator also plans to promote the characters by operating a pop-up cafe from Nov. 6 to Nov. 17. Special drinks and cookies named after the two characters will be offered.

KRX introduced the two characters in 2010, using the concept of bull and bear markets. Hwangbi, a red bull, represents a rising market with its horns pointing upward. Woongbi, a blue bear, symbolizes a falling market as bears move their claws from top to bottom.

Given the emerging active participation of younger generations in stock investment, the KRX gave Hwangbi and Woongbi a makeover to make them more approachable and facilitate active online and offline communication. They transitioned from having angular faces with pronounced eyebrows, emphasizing trustworthiness, to having rounder and cuter appearances.

The KRX explains that Hwangbi is a character who values learning as it knows that bullish markets eventually come to an end. It wears a red tie, a color representing a rising market, and carries money with its tail.

Woongbi, meanwhile, empathizes with investors and businesses and listens to them with a heart of sympathy. As an icon of sadness, Woongbi has an arrow stuck in its back, and wears a blue downward-pointing arrow on its chest, symbolizing the bearish market. It cries in empathy with investors’ pain as it is a character who provides comfort during difficult times. (Advertorial)