Kim Gil-young, Chairman of the Seoul Metropolitan Council's Urban Planning and Equilibrium Committee, Attends Seoul Design Week Opening Ceremony
Kim Gil-young, Chairman of the Urban Planning and Equilibrium Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council, delivered a congratulatory speech at the opening ceremony of 'Seoul Design Week' held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) on October 15. Photo=Seoul Metropolitan Council
Kim Gil-young, Chairman of the Urban Planning and Equilibrium Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council (People Power Party, Gangnam 6), attended the opening ceremony of 'Seoul Design Week' held at the DDP Art Hall on Wednesday, October 15th, delivered a congratulatory speech, and expressed his commitment to policy support for strengthening Seoul's design industry competitiveness.
This event is a leading urban design festival that promotes Seoul's design ecosystem to the world and is held throughout Seoul for 12 days from October 15th to 26th. The opening ceremony was attended by approximately 200 key figures and officials from the design industry, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Musinsa CEO Park Jun-mo, Sikeum Research Institute CEO Roh Hee-young, Design House CEO Lee Young-hye, Korea Institute of Design Promotion President Yoon Sang-heum, and Korea Craft & Design Foundation President Jang Dong-gwang. Over 100 media outlets covered the event.
In his congratulatory speech, Chairman Kim emphasized, "Design is the face of a city and the language for designing the future," and added, "I hope that Seoul Design Week will grow into an industrial festival that is created together by designers, companies, and citizens, rather than a simple exhibition." He further emphasized the need to systematically discover and nurture star designers and strengthen naming strategies where their names become brands, stressing the importance of cultivating creative talent with global competitiveness.
Chairman Kim stated, "Seoul's design policies affect not only urban competitiveness but also national competitiveness," and emphasized, "Design is the power to change the city and an industry that drives the economy." He especially stated, "The Urban Planning and Equilibrium Committee of the Seoul Metropolitan Council will spare no policy support for urban innovation through design, strengthening the industrial ecosystem, and improving the quality of life for citizens."
Following the opening ceremony, Chairman Kim visited the 'DDP Design Fair' and the 'Seoul Design Industry Spectrum' exhibition to review the achievements of Seoul's design policies. He directly examined exhibitions in various fields, including university-industry collaboration projects, industrial design development support projects, and projects to revitalize the design industry for the vulnerable, encouraging on-site officials by saying, "Creative design must serve as a medium that connects industry and the lives of citizens."
He emphasized, "Seoul's design policy is a public value that permeates the daily lives of citizens and the foundation of an industry that creates new jobs," and added, "Design must be at the center of policies that solve urban problems and change the lives of citizens." He also stated, "The Seoul Metropolitan Council will continue to pay attention to and support Seoul Design Week so that it can establish itself as a global festival where global design experts and citizens come together every year."
Meanwhile, 'Seoul Design Week' is a leading international design event co-hosted by the Seoul Design Foundation and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and plays an important role in promoting Seoul as a city brand on the global stage through various exhibitions, forums, and experiential programs that combine industry, culture, and technology. This year's event, themed "The Future of the City Connected by Design," highlighted sustainability, emotional technology, and K-design trends, and presented the current state and future direction of Seoul's design industry.
Chairman Kim Gil-young stated, "Design is no longer just an aesthetic element, but the power that determines the identity of a city and the brand of a nation," and added, "The Seoul Metropolitan Council will strengthen the institutional foundation for fostering the design industry and nurturing talent, and do its best to ensure that Seoul can become a truly global design hub city."
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