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Busan Selected as the 2028 World Design Capital (WDC)… Leaping Forward as a Global Design Hub

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it has been selected as the host of the "2028 World Design Capital (WDC)," designated by the World Design Organization (WDO).

The “World Design Capital (WDC)” is an international program launched in 2008 by the World Design Organization (WDO) that selects cities every two years that demonstrate the use of design to foster economic, social, cultural, and environmental development.

With this selection, Busan becomes the eleventh city in the world to hold the title, following cities such as Seoul (2010), Helsinki (2012), and Valencia (2022).

In its bid for the World Design Capital (WDC), Busan promoted the theme “Inclusive City, Engaged Design,” highlighting a service design model rooted in citizen participation.

During the site visit conducted by the WDO delegation in June, the team toured various locations, including:

• ●Berry Very Good Bongsan Village in Yeongdo

• ●Dongseo University

• ●The North Port redevelopment area

• ●F1963 cultural complex

These visits showcased Busan’s citizen-participatory design practices, design-focused education systems, and integrated urban policy approaches centered on design.

Busan received high praise from the WDO for its mature capabilities in promoting design policies, fostering a design culture, and establishing related infrastructure that enables citizens to take an active role in transforming the city through design. This led to Busan's victory over Hangzhou, China, its competing finalist city.

The WDO commented, “Busan demonstrates strong potential for transforming the city through design culture. Its data-driven regional analysis and improvement strategies can serve as a model for the international community.” They also added, “We hope that Busan, as the newly designated World Design Capital (WDC), will exert meaningful influence not only domestically but on a global scale.”

The official designation of “World Design Capital Busan 2028” will be formally announced at the 34th World Design Congress in London this September.

In preparation, Busan Metropolitan City and the Busan Design Promotion Agency will establish an operational framework for WDC and begin in-depth planning and execution of related programs.

Mayor Park Heong-joon stated, “This selection is a result of the collective effort in urban design by our citizens and marks a pivotal moment in Busan’s leap toward becoming a global design city. Design is not merely about altering appearances—it is about redesigning the way we live as a whole city.” He continued, “We will strive to ensure this designation brings real improvements to citizens’ lives, and the entire preparation process will be meticulously crafted to communicate Busan’s vision as a global design hub to the world.”