By Honorary Reporter Eftychia Dovletoglou from Greece

Photos = Jang Jin-hui

The Korean Culture and Information Service (KOCIS), in commemoration of its 50th anniversary, introduced last year a fluffy white bird named Kocnuni as its official mascot. The design of Jang Jin-hui beat out over 500 other entries to win an illustration contest for the character. 

The following are excerpts from an interview with Jang conducted from Jan. 10-13.

Please introduce yourself. 
I'm Jang Jin-hui aka Raz, a Korean illustrator. I usually do design projects through outsourcing and free personal work. My Instagram ID is raz_jini.

How did you react after winning the grand prize in the illustration contest?
When I learned that I'd won the competition, I was at a Christmas party with my family. When I blew out the candles on the cake, I made a wish. A little later, I was overjoyed to find out on an Instagram feed that I won. It was a huge surprise and one of the best Christmas gifts I've ever received. 

Jang Jin-hui has won a number of awards for her illustrations. 

How did you come up with your award-winning work?

When I finished the design, I focused on correcting the colors and deciding what to put in. It was difficult to determine whether to put the KOCIS logo, so I submitted two versions. I got help from my husband, 10-year-old son and friends, and advice from non-art majors. My son's perspective was very accurate.

What message did you wish to convey through your design?
It combines traditional Korean landscape paintings with modern characters. I wanted to give a traditional feeling without losing the nation's modern sophistication. I drew landmarks of major global cities with a traditional feeling and wanted to show Kocnuni enjoying global culture in other places around the world. 

enny0611@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.