Busan is good

Busan Showcases “Echoes of Busan” in Milan… Busan Pavilion at Milan Design Week Draws Strong Attention

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Busan Metropolitan City announced that it operated the “Busan Pavilion” at the central courtyard of the University of Milan, Italy, during Milan Design Week (April 20–30), the world’s largest design event, presenting Busan’s urban brand and its vision as the 2028 World Design Capital (WDC) to the international community.

The pavilion, themed “Busan Echoes,” was designed to deliver the vision and identity of Busan as the 2028 World Design Capital (WDC) through immersive content, allowing visitors to directly experience and perceive the city’s image.

The pavilion was created in collaboration with the globally renowned design studio Migliore+Servetto. Ico Migliore, who has a strong understanding of Busan through projects such as the Busan Blue Line Park and his role as a distinguished professor at Dongseo University, participated in the project. The exhibition was designed as an immersive experience that expresses Busan’s dynamic urban image through “sound” and “space.”

Through a resonant exhibition combining sounds of Busan’s sea, shipyards, and urban environment—collected by artist Kim Seoryang—with responsive metallic structures, visitors were offered an immersive experience as if they were physically present in the city.

In addition, the exhibition expressed the uniqueness of Busan’s urban brand by incorporating cultural and industrial elements of the city into its design, such as applying Hangul and retroreflective film from local companies to semi-transparent veils.

By integrating auditory, visual, and spatial elements, the exhibition attracted attention by offering a new way to “sensory perceive” the city.

The pavilion also drew local interest through promotional activities linked with the official Milan Design Week program.

At a press conference hosted by Interni on April 20, the pavilion and the vision of Busan as the 2028 World Design Capital (WDC) were introduced, attracting attention from local media and design professionals.

On April 22, the opening ceremony officially unveiled the exhibition concept and the city brand, followed by continued exchanges with designers and stakeholders from various countries.

On-site visitor participation programs were also operated to increase engagement and length of stay.

During the event period, survey events and souvenir giveaways created by Busan’s young designers were conducted to encourage visitor participation.

The pavilion attracted an average of approximately 30,000 visitors per day, and a satisfaction survey (4,777 responses as of April 28) showed overall high satisfaction.

In particular, the content allowing visitors to experience the sounds of Busan and the central metal installation inspired by the shipbuilding industry were highlighted as the most impressive elements. After viewing the exhibition, visitors were more likely to perceive Busan as a “creative, design-driven city” and expressed a higher intention to visit.

The operation of this pavilion is evaluated as an opportunity to expand Busan’s urban brand and design capabilities internationally.

Through integrated promotion combining exhibitions, media (press), and social media, Busan’s design, industrial, and cultural content was disseminated across the global design network, while exchanges with local design institutions and stakeholders continued.

In particular, by delivering the city’s image intuitively through immersive exhibition methods, it is assessed that the initiative achieved tangible improvements in city awareness beyond simple information delivery.

It also provided an opportunity to observe Milan Design Week’s decentralized urban operation model on-site and to review the direction for establishing a Busan-style urban design platform for the “Global Busan Design Fair.”

Moon Jeong-ju, Director General of the Future Design Headquarters, stated, “This pavilion is a meaningful initiative that expands Busan’s appeal into resonant design content and conveys it to the international community,” adding, “Moving forward, we will make every effort to establish a global leading model in which design operates across citizens’ daily lives and the city as a whole, with Busan’s designation as the 2028 World Design Capital (WDC) as a catalyst.”