Sept. 23 (UPI) — South Korea’s Olympics organizing committee unveiled the design for the upcoming Winter Games’ gold, silver and bronze medals, which highlights the Korean alphabet.
Designer Lee Suk-woo, the artist behind the medals, etched the alphabet — Hangeul — into the outside edge of the prizes. The edges of the letters form a series of diagonal ridges along the flat sides of the medals.
One side of the medals features the Olympic rings, while the opposite side includes the PyeongChang 2018 emblem and the name of the discipline.
The ribbon for each medal is created from gapsa, a traditional Korean fabric, in light teal and pale red. It is embroidered with Hangeul and other designs, a release from the Olympics website says.
“I was very proud to be selected as the designer of these wonderful Olympic medals for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018,” Lee said at the unveiling. “To see them unveiled to the world today is a wonderful occasion. I have worked on many projects in my career, but this is particularly special as they represent my homeland, a celebration and a lifetime of hard work and dedication for all the athletes who will receive and cherish them.”
The 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place Feb. 9-25.
