Busan is good

Busan's Design Comes to Life with You… Busan to Showcase Its World Design Capital Vision at Seoul Design Week

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Chun Jae-soo) and Design Council Busan (President Kim Yun-gyeong) announced that they will operate the "2028 World Design Capital (WDC) Busan Promotional Pavilion" at Oullim Square in Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Seoul, from today (October 14) through October 18, in conjunction with Seoul Design Week 2026.

Under the theme "You Are the Most Essential Element in Bringing Busan to Life," the pavilion will use mirrors to position visitors as central figures in shaping Busan's design. It aims to convey the message that design is not exclusively the domain of experts but is brought to life through the participation and actions of every individual citizen.

Keywords such as "Consideration," "Connection," "Change," "Together," "Future," and "You" will be arranged around the mirrors to visually express the value of design jointly created by citizens and their city. The exhibition will also feature Busan Dandi, a typeface developed by Busan Metropolitan City, to highlight Busan's distinctive local identity.

The rear of the pavilion will prominently feature key phrases from Busan's urban vision, "Busan, the Maritime Capital at the Heart of a Great Transformation for the Future." Through this display, Busan Metropolitan City aims to introduce domestic and international visitors to Seoul Design Week to Busan's vision as a World Design Capital and promote the city's brand as a forward-looking leader in various fields, including maritime affairs, tourism, and industry.

The pavilion will cover an area of 18 square meters (3 m × 6 m) and will be open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. from October 14 through 18. Promotional efforts will be strengthened through official World Design Capital social media channels, content developed in collaboration with creators, and media publicity.

Through the operation of the pavilion, Busan Metropolitan City intends to raise awareness of Busan's design policies and future vision while enhancing the city's appeal through design.

In particular, building on Busan's growth as a global tourism destination, including an increase in international visitors, the city plans to actively showcase its competitiveness across tourism, culture, and industry to visitors from Korea and abroad.

Furthermore, drawing on their shared experience of being selected as World Design Capitals, Busan and Seoul plan to exchange their respective design policies and urban development experiences and explore practical opportunities for cooperation, including citizen-participatory design projects.

In particular, in connection with the World Design Congress scheduled to take place in Seoul next year (2027), the two cities intend to share their design policies and achievements and develop concrete collaborative initiatives, including citizen-participatory design projects.

Kim Dong-hyun, Director General of the AI Industry Innovation Bureau, stated, "This promotional pavilion offers a unique experience in which citizens themselves become the central figures in Busan's design." He added, "We will promote the values of Busan as a World Design Capital and its future vision as a maritime capital to audiences at home and abroad. We will also draw on Seoul's experiences in urban development and tourism revitalization to strengthen Busan's global competitiveness."