Gwangju

Gwangju is a metropolitan city in southwestern South Korea. Its civic symbol is based on the character 光, read gwang, meaning "light," which corresponds to the first syllable of the city’s name. The design is interpreted as a stylized human figure within a sunlike circular form, expressing light, human vitality, freedom, and aspiration toward a bright future. The current symbol replaced an earlier design featuring eight blue figures radiating outward, though the date of that change is not documented.