"korea, sparkling!"

my friends and former coworkers know that i'm an amateur branding/design enthusiast. so it is with great sadness that i tell you how much korea's new tourism slogan and logo suck. i don't know if the old skool "land of the morning calm" was an officially bestowed catchphrase (koreans arent calm), but at least the previous marketing pitch, "dynamic korea," was a coherent reference to korea's dramatic industrialization post-civil war.

from the official korea tourism guide web site:

"Korea, Sparkling" is a marketing brand for Korea tourism, symbolizing the energetic and lively Korean culture and people, which can only be experienced in Korea.

um, ever been to LA?

i've heard that the slogan was designed, in part, to address some peoples' confusion about which korea is which. i guess the north's mass starvation and total isolation doesn't suggest "sparkling". i was doing my best to try and accept the new expression until i saw the logo, which i took as a much greater offense.
yes, friends, a british dude was reportedly paid six figures to create this amateur-ish abomination. two questions: 1) who's tickling the jiggling "spark" in sparkling? and 2) why does korea's official marketing logo include a rough rendering of the hungarian flag? i-ee-goo, so much money for such little talent.

i kinda like this promotional video tho the b-boy bit never fails to send a chill of embarrassment down my spine.

on a related note, the reader comments about the slogan over at the marmot's hole web site remind me why i think i'm going to hate really dislike most white american expats. what are they so angry about? frustrated with losing their unearned privilege when outside of north america? upset when their wax eloquent isn't taken seriously by their korean clients/supervisors? boo hoo. believe me, your asses are still kissed while in the orient. furthermore, while i gather it's weird for you to be in the minority, your horror at the injustice of it all doesn't have me crying a river.

that said, i've talked online with some nice light-complected canadians lately... but aren't canadians always nice, if a bit loquacious and insecure? or, are albertans as bad as i've been told?