Seoul Design
International Forum
서울디자인국제포럼

[Panel Discussion] Discussion by Pre-submitted & On-site Question

[(Chair) Joo Yun KIM] My questions are finished, and we received many from the participants. We can’t take them all, so I’ll ask one per speaker. First, CEO Helle Søholt: Jan Gehl’s urban-design principles suggest ways to create cities that attract citizens. If Seoul’s public design is to become something that truly makes people say, “It’s livable and I’m proud of it,” what one thing should we especially prioritize?

[Panel Discussion] Discussion by Topic

[(Chair) Joo Yun KIM] We were able to hear talks that were truly fun, very engaging, and meaningful today with a remarkably wide spectrum. I imagine the citizens who joined us today also gained many insights relevant to their own fields of study and current work. We’ll now begin the plenary discussion. It will run for about an hour. I’ll start with a question; after our speakers share their views, I’ll take pre-submitted questions from citizens, one per speaker.

[Session2] Design with 10%

Hello. I’m Byungsu KIM from Missionit, giving the final presentation. When we say “design for the 10%,” you may wonder who that 10% is and what that number means. If you listen through to the end, I will explain it well.

[Session2] Design by Community: Advocating for Community Power in New York City Government

Hi everybody. Before I even begin, I just want to say it is an immense pleasure and privilege to be here. Thank you so much for having me. My name is Deana Yu, and I am the Assistant Director of the Service Design Studio. And for the next 20 minutes of my presentation, I want to invite everybody here to travel 7,000 miles away—to where I’m from.

[Session2] Design Connecting People, Cities, and the Future: Focusing on Seoul’s Design Policies

Hello. I am Inkyu Choi, Director-General of Design Policy Bureau of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. I am truly pleased to be here with so many of you at this major gathering today. I also feel very honored to have the opportunity to present. Today, under the theme “Design Connecting People, Cities and Future,” I will speak focusing on Seoul’s design policy. As Mayor Oh Se-hoon mentioned earlier with the theme of “sincerity in design,” I’d like to focus not on listing many cases, but on highlighting the key projects he truly valued. The presentation outline organizes the history and concept of Design Seoul, followed by design for citizens, city competitiveness, investment toward the future, and design and safety.

[Session1] L’Oréal: Collaborative Design for Sustainability

Hello, everyone. My name is Sharon So, and I’m the Director of Corporate Affairs, Engagement, and Sustainability at L’Oréal Korea. First of all, thank you so much for inviting me to the Seoul Design International Forum. As Mr. Uwe Cremering mentioned earlier, I’m neither a designer nor an architect, so when I first received the invitation, I honestly wondered what kind of story I could share with you today. However, through our ongoing conversations and collaboration with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and by listening to Mayor Oh Se-hoon and Ms. Helle Søholt earlier today, I’ve come to see more clearly the direction that design in Seoul should take moving forward. I believe it is a form of design that harmoniously embraces sustainability, inclusiveness for the vulnerable, and responsiveness to the climate crisis. And in that sense, I now understand a little better why I was invited to be here.

[Session1] Designing Trust: How the iF Design Award Shapes Global Design Culture

Hello everybody, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for the invitation again, and for having me here today. Many thanks to the previous speaker — Helle Søholt’s talk was truly inspiring, and I learned a lot about architecture and urban design.

[Keynote Session] Designing Cities for People & Planet: From Vision to Impact

Thank you very much for the opportunity to come and meet you all in Seoul. Today, I just managed to take a little walk around the area in the rain, and I’m happy that you made me feel so welcome — because it’s always raining in Copenhagen too. So thank you for that.

[The Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations] Citizen Representatives’ Remarks

Sukwoo LEE / Founder & Industrial Designer, SWNA For me, Design Seoul is a new standard that changes lives. Industrial design goes beyond aesthetics; it serves as a mirror reflecting the world we live in. From the width of a street to the brightness of a light, even the unseen elements of design shape the everyday life of citizens. As a designer, I believe that when these standards are set in a better direction, the city itself begins to change.

[The Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations] Introduction

Through the Seoul Design International Forum 2025, we are pleased to present for the first time the Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations. Before we begin the main program, I would like to briefly share the purpose, origins, and significance of this initiative.

[Special Interview] Deana YU

Q. In what areas does the NYC Service Design Studio work and which departments do you mainly collaborate with? Could you share one project that was most memorable for you? At the Service Design Studio, we kind of work like a city agency but we're a consultancy. So, we work with many different city agencies to improve their social services using service design. And as a consultancy, I get to work with a lot of different partners and one of those is the Department of Social Services, which is, I believe, one of the nation’s biggest social services departments. They administer so many social services like housing. And in particular, we partnered with them on the CityFHEPS Program, and we helped create flyers and sort of assets and tools that they can use to talk to people about programs. So we worked with them, and we conducted interviews to think about how can we make these fliers accessible to the people that are going to read them. Using pictures, icons, graphs, things to communicate really complicated New York City policy.

[Special Discussion] Soft City, Global Design Seoul!

[Oh Se-hoon] I would like to sincerely welcome Ms. Helle Søholt from Denmark and Mr. Uwe Cremering from Germany to Seoul City Hall. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has set “Walking Together with the Vulnerable” and “Enhancing Urban Attractiveness” as its core goals. Through these efforts, we are striving to become one of the world’s Top 5 cities in terms of global competitiveness and quality of life. At this point in time, I find it very meaningful to have this conversation with both of you on the theme of design.

[Special Interview] Uwe CREMERING

Q1. How much more importance does social value and sustainability have in the iF Design Award today, and how are these changes influencing the design scene in Korea and Asia? Actually, at iF Design, we have a holistic view of the product itself, and sustainability, social responsibility, as well as environmental responsibility, has played a significant role over the last decades. But over the last years, we have really focused a little bit more on this topic and we did it in line with our main participants and also a consultation of external experts, and we have dedicated criteria for this, called sustainability. And, it has 20 percent of our overall ratings go to this criterion.

[Special Interview] Helle SØHOLT

Q. What are the key conditions needed to make Seoul a more human-centered and attractive city? For Seoul to be a more human centered and attractive city, the city needs to focus on the public spaces. And by that I mean streets, squares, parks, rivers. The public spaces are an untapped resource for supporting the social infrastructure of the city. And that is what is needed for the city of Seoul to become a livable city in the future.

[Abstract] Design with 10%

<Bridging the Gap of Experience> The gap of experience refers to the disparity that arises in the process of using products and services when designers and users come from different backgrounds and life experiences. Can a designer ever fully understand the user? If it were a product made solely for oneself, perhaps it would be possible. However, in designs intended for others—especially for the majority—it is almost impossible for a designer to completely understand all users. The smaller the experience gap, the higher the level of user satisfaction. This is because the better a designer understands the user’s circumstances and context, the more accurately they can create what the user truly needs. Conversely, when the gap is large, it is difficult to satisfy users. Therefore, the designer’s goal must be to reduce the gap of experience.

[Abstract] Design by Community: Advocating for Community Power in New York City Government

Deana Yu is the Assistant Director of New York City’s Service Design Studio: the United States’ first municipal team dedicated to improving services for low-income residents. As a team within the Mayor’s Office of Economic Opportunity, Yu will reflect on the Studio’s unique role in advocating for service design in city government. Yu will introduce participatory design as a foundational tool for civic innovation. From co-creating public services with marginalized communities to reimagining government communications, she shows how design can build more equitable and responsive city systems.

[Abstract] Design Connecting People, Cities, and the Future: Focusing on Seoul’s Design Policies

The Seoul Metropolitan Government has implemented “people-centered design” that citizens can tangibly experience in their daily lives, and “creative design” that enhances the city’s attractiveness and global competitiveness. Looking ahead, it aims to advance toward “future-oriented design,” opening new pathways to address the pressing global challenges of climate change, digital transformation, and shifting lifestyles.

[Abstract] L’Oréal: Collaborative Design for Sustainability

1. Introduction to the L’Oréal Group and its global sustainability program, “L’Oréal for the Future.” 2. Case studies of sustainability design shaped by citizen participation A. L’Oréal has implemented an empty-bottle recycling program that collects used cosmetic containers from consumers and transforms them into various upcycled creations. Examples include: (1) Kiehl’s “Circular Resource Concept Store,” (2) the “Scented Tree” upcycling art installation at Seoul Beauty Week, (3) upcycled benches at Shinsegae Gangnam Department Store, and (4) a collaborative project with Korea Railroad Corporation to install upcycled benches in the waiting hall of Seoul Station’s second floor.