Busan is good

Busan’s History and Culture Brought to Life Through Everyday Design… Busan Metropolitan City Showcases and Sells Goods Inspired by the Assets of Major Cultural Institutions

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that it has completed the “Design Development Project for Goods Utilizing Institutional Assets,” which reinterprets Busan’s historical and cultural assets in a contemporary way, and will introduce a total of 12 products, including three premium items and nine standard items.

The project goes beyond conventional logo-printed souvenirs and was undertaken to enhance the competitiveness of the city brand by embedding the stories of major cultural institutions—such as their distinctive architecture, artifacts, and aspects of everyday life—into products through design storytelling.

The city spent approximately seven months from last October developing concepts tailored to each institution and producing prototypes. Through collaboration with design experts, the products were refined to achieve both practicality and a high level of design quality.

A total of 3,017 citizens participated in online and offline preference surveys during the planning and design process, helping to verify the marketability and public appeal of the products.

The completed product lineup consists of a premium collection centered on symbolic objects representing each institution’s identity, as well as a standard collection designed for everyday use.

Classic Busan will introduce three items, including a snow globe music box inspired by the seating area and pipe organ of Busan Concert Hall, along with a clip set and a ticket book.

Busan Museum has developed four products, including a mirror vase inspired by the aesthetic form of the museum’s White Porcelain Jar, as well as a doll keyring reinterpreting the “Tiger and Cub Painting.”

The Busan Modern and Contemporary History Museum will present six retro-inspired products, including an object clock themed around the 1,023 days of Busan as Korea’s wartime capital, as well as a rotating vault keyring, embroidered bookmark, crayon magnet, and timeline ruler.

The products will be exhibited and offered through pilot sales from today (June 17) through July 31 on the second floor of the Busan Brand Shop (Big Shop), located on Gwangbok-ro in Jung-gu.

Moon Jeong-ju, Head of the Future Design Division of Busan Metropolitan City, stated, “This goods development project is a participatory branding initiative that naturally integrates Busan’s one-of-a-kind historical and cultural assets into the daily lives of citizens.” He added, “We will continue to discover public-private partnership models that enable citizens to experience the value of the city brand through key spaces such as the Busan Brand Shop.”