PENGSOO

South Korea has a new idol - a giant genderless penguin with a gruff voice, a brazen attitude and a hunger for fame.
Its name is Pengsoo, and by most normal mascot measures, it's not cute.
It tells people not to cheer it up, is often decked in sunglasses and its voice sounds like that of a middle aged man despite being 10 years old.
Yet the expressionless giant penguin, which was initially aimed at children, has now gained a large fan base amongst many millennials who find its blunt personality refreshing.
The 2.1m giant penguin was even named South Korea's "Person of the Year" - despite obviously not being a person - even beating contenders like K-pop phenomenon BTS.

- BBC NEWS

The 10-year-old penguin is originally from the Antarctic, but made its way to South Korea to become a star, according to Pengsoo's creators, the Education Broadcassting System (EBS)
Its goal, they said, were to emulate Pororo, the cute goggle-wearing charcter loved by children all across the country. It also wanted to be more popular than BTS.

It's "it" because Pengsoo is neither male nor female - EBS, where Pengsoo is officially working as a trainee, are keen to stress that point.

EBS producer Lee Seulyena told the BBC News Korea that the character was created to be someone the "whole family could like".
The giant penguin went on to become a hit with young adults in their 20s and 30s, resulting in The EBS YouTube channel that features Pengsoo, Giant Peng TV reaching over 1.2 million subscribers. Pengsoo is also a popular guest on talk shows and TV programmes.

So what's the appeal?

The company behind Pengsoo says its appeal lies in its ability to "not be tied to heirarchy or rank" but yet still hold a form of "childlike innocence".
In multiple videos, it refers to the chief of EBS Kim Myung-joong without the expected honorific "Sajangnim" - a term of respect used to refer to someone older or in a higher position.
It also often jokingly blames Mr Kim when something goes wrong, akin to someone blaming their boss for all their problems.
But Pengsoo treats everyone equally whether its counterpart is a lawmaker, a company president, or a famous celebrity. This is what's really charming about Pengsoo.

So don't be surprised if you soon see a giant gruffy penguin pop up around you, it's just Pengsoo.

source: blog.naver.com