UNESCO Creative City Cheongju unveils brand identity, special exhibition

Cheongju, officially recognized as a UNESCO Creative City, has launched its identity and a special exhibition to showcase its designation. The city and the Chungbuk Provincial Government unveiled the "UNESCO Creative City Cheongju BI" (Brand Identity) on Thursday.

The new BI integrates the UNESCO Creative City symbol with Cheongju's identity as a hub for crafts and folk arts. The letter 'C,' representing Cheongju, is shaped like the ancient Sorori rice seed, symbolizing 'craft,' 'creation,' and 'Cheongju.' Cheongju was selected last November for its heritage, including being the birthplace of "Jikji," the world's oldest existing metal-printed book.

As part of its designation, Cheongju opened the special exhibition "The Sense of Hands, The Texture of the World." This exhibition, divided into four themes, Sense, Time, Form, and World's Texture, displays over 200 works made from materials like clay, wood, hanji paper, textiles, metal, and glass. Thirty-three artists from Korea and abroad are participating, with the exhibition running until August 23 at the Culture Manufacturing Complex.

Cheongju also plans to host a Korea-China-Japan crafts city forum in October, with participants including Kanagawa, Japan, and Jingdezhen, China. The city aims to leverage its UNESCO status to foster international collaboration and promote its cultural heritage.