Seoul World Design Capital

Seoul is a thriving global city of over 12 million people and the capital of South Korea, a country that has seen rapid development over the last few decades to become one of the newly emerged first world countries of the late 20^th century.

But, much of this development came at the expense of good design in terms of innovation and aesthetics, a situation which was rectified with the overhaul of major infrastructure such as buildings and transportation and has now put Seoul on the map as one of the most modern and technologically advanced cities in the world.

The cities selection by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design in 2007 to be the World Design Capital 2010, was therefore a recognition of the strides made by Seoul as it became a global city in terms of both finance and IT, as well as design. In his acceptance speech in San Francisco Mayor Oh Se-hoon referred to these industries in underscoring Seoul’s progress.

“Design is a growth driver of the Seoul economy. We have surprised the world with the Miracle of the Han River and advancements in the IT sector. Now we would like to bring global attention to Seoul with strong design,” he was quoted by Seoul news media as saying.

The International Council of Societies of Industrial Design is an organization with over 150 members from 50 countries around the world and bills itself as a group to promote a world in which good design improves the social, economic, cultural and environmental quality of life for its inhabitants.

A number of major construction and social projects were undertaken ahead of 2010 to prepare the city for the recognition it would get as a World Design Capital in 2010. The Seoul Design Olympiad and U-Design International Competition were both launched, the Dongdaemun Design Plaza was built and the city began participating in the IDA World Design Report.

In addition a Youth Design Creative Camp was established and extensive promotional material in the media sought to engage the residents of the city and encourage participation in the projects under the slogan “it takes heart, it takes Seoul”, using a play on the city’s name.

The Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) was designed by Zaha Hadid who won the International Design Competition as well as Samwoo. The project was built on the site of the former Dongdaemun Stadium and was part of a greater project by the municipality government to restore the nearby ancient castle and construct a landscaped urban park.

Seoul’s designation as World Design Capital has given birth to the Seoul Design Fair (formerly the Seoul Design Olympiad), which brings together the public, foreign tourists, designers and design experts. At the Seoul Design Fair 2010, the success and importance of the event was underscored by those attending.

“Seoul Design Fair will enhance the overall competitiveness of the country's design industry, as the event features design works of the world's top-notch designers and design houses,” said Choi Kyung-ran, a design professor of Seoul's Kookmin University and the Director General of the SDF 2010, while speaking to international and Seoul news media.

The city has also won international recognition; in September of 2010 the Seoul Metropolitan Government was chosen by IDEA/Brazil as the winners of the gold awards in the category of design strategy and environment in recognition of the steps taken to both be nominated as a World Capital and the success in preparing the city to carry the title.

IDEA/Brazil is the South American division of the International Design Excellence Award, one of the most prestigious in the world.