Pyeongchang 2018 has also announced it will hold a launch ceremony for the mascots - a white tiger named “Soohorang” and an Asiatic black bear called “Bandabi” - in the South Korean capital Seoul and the host city on July 20.

Users of the Kakoa Talk application, which allows Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone users to send and receive messages free of charge, will now be able to send miniature versions of the mascots to friends and family.

The first 100,000 people who download the app will receive the emoticons of the pair for free.

According to Pyeongchang 2018, it is used by 97 per cent of people in South Korea, which will play host to its first-ever Winter Olympics and Paralympics in 2018.

The aim of releasing emoticons of “Soohorang” and “Bandabi” is to spread the message of Pyeongchang 2018, using them as a communication tool to reach an extensive amount of users.

It is set to be the first of a series of initiatives involving the mascots, which Pyeongchang 2018 hope will “bring them closer to everyone”.

A tiger, which will be the Olympic mascot, traditionally represents the "shape" of the Korean peninsula.

The white tiger is considered a "sacred guardian animal".

Its colour is also indicative of the snow and ice of winter sports.

The name “Soohorang” is a combination of several meanings in the Korean language, with “Sooho” the Korean word for “protection,” and “Rang” a part of the word for tiger as well as a traditional folk music of Gangwon Province, where the host city is located.

The Paralympic mascot choice of the bear is seen as "symbolic of strong will and courage", with the Asiatic Black Bear also the symbol animal of Gangwon Province.