Korea's economy has long been one of Asia's success stories, but pessimists fret for the future as Korea is sandwiched between fast-growing China and longtime rival Japan. So, Korea government-backed plan to raise Seoul's standing as a city focused on design help keep its growth on track.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se Hoon certainly thinks so. Oh, leader of a city home to nearly a quarter of the country's population of 48 million, is convinced Korea can stand out from its larger neighbors by establishing the capital as a international design center.
He says thinking about design will have numerous benefits. At an individual level he believes cultural benefits can enrich the daily lives of work-obsessed Koreans. Just as important, a renewed creativity can help the economy. I think so"Design is everything." Oh Se Hoon has set about turning Seoul into a global design hub with a slew of initiatives. He quickly established a new design division headed by a vice-mayor and initiated design competitions aimed at improving the city's looks. He has also begun offering training and seminar courses for young designers. The effort will kick into high gear in October when the city hosts the first Seoul Design Olympiad. It has also commissioned international "starchitect" Zaha Hadid to design the $98 million Dongdaemun Design Park.
I think his ambition got a huge boost when the city was designated as "the World Design Capital in 2010". The title is bestowed biennially by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), which represents some 150,000 designers from scores of countries.
These combined efforts will help increase the size of Korea's design market—measured by the total of revenues by design houses and investments in design by ordinary companies—to $15 billion in less than 10 years, from $7.4 billion last year. "In coming years we'll see aspects of design in our everyday life," predicts Lee Kun Pyo, president of Korea Society of Design Science. Korean companies have also made great strides in recent years in improving brands through design. Companies like Samsung elctronics, LG Elctronics, and SK Telecomboast leading designers in the fields of digital displays, handsets, and mobile products and services, garnering international design awards along the way. The fruits of their efforts are reflected in the improved global standing of Korea's blue chips. Last year Samsung overtook Motorola to become the world's second cell-phone maker.
20700426 Hyo eun Yoo
entry 08
Seoul Mayor Oh Se Hoon certainly thinks so. Oh, leader of a city home to nearly a quarter of the country's population of 48 million, is convinced Korea can stand out from its larger neighbors by establishing the capital as a international design center.
He says thinking about design will have numerous benefits. At an individual level he believes cultural benefits can enrich the daily lives of work-obsessed Koreans. Just as important, a renewed creativity can help the economy. I think so"Design is everything." Oh Se Hoon has set about turning Seoul into a global design hub with a slew of initiatives. He quickly established a new design division headed by a vice-mayor and initiated design competitions aimed at improving the city's looks. He has also begun offering training and seminar courses for young designers. The effort will kick into high gear in October when the city hosts the first Seoul Design Olympiad. It has also commissioned international "starchitect" Zaha Hadid to design the $98 million Dongdaemun Design Park.
I think his ambition got a huge boost when the city was designated as "the World Design Capital in 2010". The title is bestowed biennially by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (ICSID), which represents some 150,000 designers from scores of countries.
These combined efforts will help increase the size of Korea's design market—measured by the total of revenues by design houses and investments in design by ordinary companies—to $15 billion in less than 10 years, from $7.4 billion last year. "In coming years we'll see aspects of design in our everyday life," predicts Lee Kun Pyo, president of Korea Society of Design Science. Korean companies have also made great strides in recent years in improving brands through design. Companies like Samsung elctronics, LG Elctronics, and SK Telecomboast leading designers in the fields of digital displays, handsets, and mobile products and services, garnering international design awards along the way. The fruits of their efforts are reflected in the improved global standing of Korea's blue chips. Last year Samsung overtook Motorola to become the world's second cell-phone maker.
20700426 Hyo eun Yoo
entry 08
reference :
1. http://blog.daum.net/ceta21/13002726
1. http://blog.daum.net/ceta21/13002726
No comments:
Post a Comment