[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.
That is why Design Seoul is, to me, a new standard—one that has the power to transform life.
Bart van GENUGTEN / Honorary Citizen of Seoul
Hello, everyone.
I am Bart van Genugten from the Netherlands, an honorary citizen of Seoul.
To me, Design Seoul is like a storybook.
Each time I film a new neighborhood, a new chapter unfolds, whether it’s a subway station rich with history, a lively square where people gather, a mysterious alleyway, or a small shop preserving tradition. For me, Design Seoul is a story that captivates and welcomes everyone to read together, a story that compels you to turn each page to the very end, because every page holds its own strength.
And the force that makes this story possible is design. Design is not just about the shape or color of buildings; it embodies the experiences and emotions of the city created when people, spaces, and culture come together. Life and the city are stories we live and create together, and design is the medium that connects them all.
Haeun KIM / College of Art & Technology, Chung-Ang University · Supporter of SDIF 2025
To me, Design Seoul is design together.
For young people like myself, it is often difficult to find direction alone. However, ideas that once felt overwhelming can, through the lens of design, come together as small solutions that gradually point the way forward.
To be together means uniting diverse experiences and voices to build a life and a city that everyone can relate to and take responsibility for. Design does not offer ready-made answers—it is a process of learning and discovering solutions together. And when we move forward not alone but with everyone, design becomes far more meaningful.
Hyunsung LEE / Professor of Hongik University · MP, SDIF 2025
To me, Design Seoul is our promise.
Today, the messages shared by youth, researchers, foreign citizens, and industrial designers each reflected their own vision of Seoul. When these diverse voices come together as one, we can truly witness the power of design. I believe this moment is not simply about making statements, but about affirming a shared promise that we will carry forward together.
The Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations is more than a document—it is a promise and a starting point for action that connects citizens, the city, and the world. Amid an era of transformation and new challenges, it represents our collective commitment to solving urban problems through design and to creating a city founded on empathy, inclusiveness, resilience, and sustainability.
