SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A cartoon white tiger named “Soohorang” will be the mascot for the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics.
The organizing committee of the Games made the announcement Thursday and said an Asian black bear character, named “Bandabi,” was picked as the mascot for the Paralympics.
Soohorang, created by South Korean designers, was picked as the mascot because Koreans have long equated the shape of the Korean Peninsula to the shape of a tiger, the committee said. White tigers are also considered as guardian animals in Korean folklore.
Bandabi was picked as the Paralympic mascot because bears to Koreans represent strong will and courage, and also because the Asian black bear is the symbolic animal of the Gangwon Province, the region that governs Pyeongchang, the committee said.