By Yoo Yeon Gyeong
Photos = Seoul Metropolitan Government
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has started a run-off vote to choose the capital's new brand slogan to replace the outgoing "I·Seoul·U."
The municipal government on Feb. 14 said it will choose between the two finalists "Seoul, my soul" and "Seoul for you" in a final voting to run from Feb. 15 to March 16.
"Seoul, my soul" with 148,466 votes ranked first and "Seoul for you" second with 138,825 among four candidates in a city survey conducted last month on public preference for the slogan. "Amazing Seoul" was third with 70,395 and "Make it happen, Seoul" fourth with 40,035.
Koreans chose "Seoul for you" as their top pick and non-nationals "Seoul, my soul," with the gap between the two candidates a narrow 9,641 votes, or 2.4% of the combined votes of 397,721.
The meaning of "Seoul for you" is "Seoul, where everything is prepared for you," while that of "Seoul, my soul" is "a city that can fill the soul" by emphasizing the similar pronunciations of the words "Seoul" and "soul."
Anyone can vote for either slogan by searching "Seoul" on a web portal or visiting the city government's website https://brandvote.seoul.go.kr/ in Korean or https://brandvote.seoul.go.kr/en/ in English. Voting is open to both Koreans and non-Koreans.
Through a lottery, 8,092 voters will receive prizes such as snack coupons and New Year's gift sets featuring Haechi, the city's official mascot.
Daily tracking of the votes is available on the websites' voting screens. The winning slogan will be announced after a separate design process.
This is the promotional poster for the final round of voting for the new brand slogan for the city of Seoul.
