Inmyeonjo to appear again at Olympic Plaza

PyeongChang Olympics opening ceremony art directors Im Choong-il, left, and Bae Il-hwan with Inmyeongjo, a prop that appeared at the opening ceremony. / Courtesy of PyeongChang Olympics organizing committee

By Nam Hyun-woo

Inmyeonjo, the prop of a human-faced bird that grabbed global attention at the opening ceremony of the PyeongChang Games, will appear again at Olympic Plaza, the Games organizers said Thursday.

The mock creature will appear at 2 p.m., 5 p.m., and 8 p.m. every day at the plaza, with opportunities for visitors to have photo shoots with the creature

Inmyeonjo became a trending search word on internet portals Naver, Daum and even Google, after appearing at the ceremony on Feb. 9.

It is an imaginary creature which appears on tomb murals from Korea’s ancient Kingdom of Goguryeo. The tombs are in what is now Jilin Province, China. The human-faced bird appears in Buddhist and Taoist mythologies and is believed to link the sky and the earth and bring perennial youth and long life to humans.

The organizers also said outdoor performances, souvenir stores, Olympic partners’ showcase Pavilion, a traditional culture zone and an info-tech pavilion are also at the plaza ready to provide various Olympic experiences to visitors.