A recent analysis found that seven out of ten DDP visitors (69.8%) also used the nearby Dongdaemun commercial district. According to data from the Seoul Open Data Plaza and the Korea Tourism Data Lab, annual card sales in the Dongdaemun Fashion Town Special Tourist Zone increased by KRW 71.3 billion, from KRW 1.3778 trillion in 2019 to KRW 1.4491 trillion in 2024. In Gwanghui-dong, Shinhan Card sales also rose from KRW 272.8 billion in 2022 to KRW 361.9 billion in 2024—an increase of KRW 89.1 billion—while spending by foreign visitors grew 6.5 times, from KRW 14.9 billion to KRW 97.6 billion. Over the past two years, passenger traffic at Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Station increased by 23.8%, and navigation searches rose 2.7 times. With 126 million cumulative visitors and a 104% financial self-sufficiency rate, DDP continues to maintain a profitable structure.

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Seoul Light DDP 2025 Winter, under the theme “EVERGLOW,” attracted 800,000 visitors over 14 days, while the New Year’s Countdown on December 31 drew 87,000 people. Total annual attendance for Seoul Light DDP in 2025 reached a record-breaking 1.92 million, marking an increase of about 40% from the previous year’s 1.38 million. During the event period, nighttime foot traffic in the DDP area also rose by 559.2% above the average. International promotion was further strengthened through Times Square advertising and YouTube livestreaming, while Seoul Light DDP enhanced its global profile through its Guinness World Records listing and awards from iF, Red Dot, and IDEA. Evolving into a more immersive festival through collaborations with Haechi and LINE FRIENDS, as well as live performances, the event now aims to become a year-round nighttime attraction through expansion to three editions per year and the return of the permanent lighting program Dream in Light.

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The experiential program “DDP Rooftop Tour,” which allows visitors to walk directly on the roof of DDP and take in a 360-degree panoramic view of Seoul, is gaining attention as one of the city’s signature attractions. During its second-half operation period (November 7–23), satisfaction rates for both the Korean- and English-language tours reached 96–97%, while the rate of participants willing to join again exceeded 95%, demonstrating the program’s strong appeal. Following a 280-meter pilot course in the first half of the year, the route was expanded in the second half to cover the full 652 meters, with a total of 405 participants joining over 14 days (three sessions per day). The English-language tour received especially enthusiastic responses to its special programs, including sunset viewing, photography, and drawing, while the wedding proposal event also drew significant interest with a high application rate. During the operating period, the program recorded approximately 180,000 social media searches and 150,000 visits to the reservation page. An even more advanced version of the program is scheduled to return next spring.

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The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Design Foundation have expanded the competitiveness of Seoul’s sustainable design industry both domestically and internationally through the Sustainable Design Product and Service Market Access Support Program, which they have jointly carried out since 2023 and which has helped drive the growth of 56 companies over the past three years. Through comprehensive support—including tailored consulting, participation in domestic and international fairs, connections with distributors, and citizen-participation festivals—participating companies secured a total of 149 distribution agreements with major platforms such as MUSINSA, 29CM, SSG.com, the Lotte Museum of Art Shop, and Amazon, establishing a solid foundation for actual sales. In addition, participation in Maison&Objet Paris and the Tokyo Gift Show broadened their overseas sales channels and confirmed the potential of Korean-style sustainable design through favorable responses from local buyers and the media. The hands-on citizen festival Green Chips Festival also expanded beyond DDP to areas including Yeonnam–Yeonhui, Seongsu, and Seochon, recording a cumulative 220,000 visitors and establishing itself as a participatory ecosystem where local communities, brands, and citizens come together. Going forward, the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Foundation plan to continue supporting business growth and the spread of sustainable values by further expanding market access and promoting everyday campaigns.

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The Seoul Design Foundation, led by Mr. Kang-Heui Cha, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, will consecutively present two exhibitions at DDP in December: the Young Designer Festival, featuring 99 graduation works by 128 participants from 17 universities across Korea, and Next Hi-Light, a group exhibition of young creators. Marking its 11th year, the Next Hi-Light young creator support program brings together 15 teams selected through an open call that saw competition rise by 275% compared to the previous year, presenting experimental works under the themes of healing, color, and climate. The exhibitions will run from December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, around the DDP Museum Trail, with visitor participation programs such as a stamp tour also available.

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From December 18 to 31, the Seoul Design Foundation will present Seoul Light DDP 2025 Winter across DDP, offering a nighttime festival that combines the world’s largest irregular media facade with a Christmas town. Under the theme “EVERGLOW: A Place That Shines Forever,” the event will feature media facade collaborations with popular domestic and international characters including Haechi and Soul Friends, LINE FRIENDS, and Yiayia and Friends, along with photo zones throughout DDP, luminarie installations, and an immersive Christmas town composed of 180 “Wishing Crystals.” On the final day of the event, December 31, the Foundation will hold the Seoul Light DDP New Year’s Countdown, expected to draw around 40,000 visitors, featuring a fireworks show linked to the world’s largest irregular media facade, a DJ performance by Park Myung-soo, and a band performance by The Solutions. The event will also be livestreamed on YouTube to showcase the appeal of Seoul’s nighttime festivals to audiences around the world.

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Operated by the Seoul Design Foundation, the Seoul Upcycling Plaza is launching the “Haechi and Sharing Hero” toy resource circulation campaign this November at Cheonggye Plaza and the Seoul Upcycling Plaza, presenting a Seoul-style circular economy model in which toy donation, cleaning, sorting, repair, and sharing are carried out in one integrated process. With approximately 30,000 participants in the toy circulation project and the introduction of AI kiosk-based certificates of appreciation and recycled plastic goods, the campaign’s online reach this year increased by 64% compared to last year. Through intergenerational resource circulation programs, the Foundation plans to continue promoting the spread of a zero-waste culture.

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The Seoul Design Foundation will host the 2025 Seoul Design Startup Forum, the nation’s only forum dedicated to design entrepreneurship, on Wednesday, November 19, at 6:00 p.m. at the Design Hall in DDP Design Lab under the theme, “A Design Perspective on the Future of Entrepreneurship: The Moment When Sensibility Becomes Strategy.” Experts in branding, distribution, content, and investment from Helinox, Peaches, Primer, and other leading organizations will share cases and strategies for design startups. Following the forum, a networking session with approximately 250 participants will introduce the startup ecosystem of the Seoul Design Startup Center and plans for the development of its second campus in Dongdaemun.

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From November 20 to 30, the Seoul Design Foundation will pilot “Dream in Light,” a nighttime media art lighting program presented across DDP every day from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Through four themed lighting shows incorporating weather data, K-pop, and dance performances, the Foundation aims to expand DDP into a permanent, year-round “landmark of light,” enhancing Seoul’s nighttime cityscape and providing citizens with a space for rest and enjoyment.

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From November 7 to 23, the Seoul Design Foundation will open the entire 652-meter stretch of the DDP rooftop and operate the DDP Rooftop Tour under the concept of “Floating Through Seoul.” The program invites visitors to experience Seoul’s time and space across four sections—design, history, panorama, and future—and recorded a 94% satisfaction rate during its pilot run in the first half of the year. Participants will wear exclusive tour outfits created in collaboration with world-renowned designer KANGHYUK, offering a unique experience of “wearing Seoul.” A random goods box will also be given to participants. In addition to the regular tour, four special programs will be offered, including sunset viewing, photography, drawing, and wedding proposal experiences. Advance reservations will be available on the DDP website from November 3 to 6 with a 30% discount.

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Held at DDP from October 15 to 26, Seoul Design Week 2025 attracted 630,000 visitors over 12 days, demonstrating the international standing of K-design. Under the theme “Design, Designer, Design Life,” the event presented a wide range of citizen-participation programs—including exhibitions, conferences, pop-ups, and the Design Fair—expanding design into both industry and everyday culture. In particular, the DDP Design Fair featured around 70 brands and collaboration teams with young designers, drawing a 500-meter waiting line, while exhibitions such as “Sitting Seoul” and “Appendix” showcased Seoul’s creative sensibility. The Seoul Design Award, held on October 24, selected “Zzaz Energy Hub” as the grand prize winner among 941 projects from 74 countries, further establishing the event as a global design festival.

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On November 12, the Seoul Design Foundation will host the DDP Brand Forum: Speaking of Moments of Change at DDP. The forum will serve as an opportunity to discuss the next ten years of DDP, which has grown into a center of Seoul’s design, fashion, entertainment, and architecture over the past decade. Domestic and international experts—including director Kooho Jung, Lee Jung-min of HYBE, and Chris van Duijn of OMA—will take part. The forum will present directions for DDP’s continued evolution as a global urban platform that embraces both creativity and public value, covering topics such as the expansion of fashion runways, urban stay experiences based on K-entertainment, and strategies for combining architecture and branding. Admission is free, and applications can be made through the DDP website.

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The Seoul Design Foundation successfully concluded the Seoul Design Award 2025, held on October 24 at DDP on its largest scale ever. Among 941 projects from 74 countries, the Zzaz Energy Hub project from the United States and Nigeria was awarded the Grand Prize. The project was recognized for helping address energy inequality in rural Nigeria through a solar-powered charging hub and a swappable battery system. Two Korean projects were also honored. This year’s newly introduced live judging and citizen voting received a strong response, while a range of additional programs—including a conference and exhibition—helped establish the event as a global festival of sustainable design.

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Seoul Design Week drew a strong response, attracting 290,000 visitors to DDP over five days from October 15 to 19. In particular, the DDP Design Fair proved so popular that it generated a 500-meter waiting line, while around 90 living and lifestyle brands and a special collaboration zone with 29CM drew significant attention. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon emphasized that “Seoul design will become a new genre.” Expanding the event around K-lifestyle and Seoul’s distinctive sense of taste, the Seoul Design Foundation will continue to operate major exhibitions and citizen-participation programs throughout DDP until October 26.

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The Seoul Design Foundation successfully held the citizen-participation festival “DDP Autumn Festival: Design Lounge” from September 26 to 28, drawing 150,000 participants. Under the theme “From Art to View to Art to Do,” citizens came together to complete a large-scale collaborative artwork and enjoy a variety of drawing and caricature activities. With participation from local businesses and companies, the festival offered a rich lineup of programs and transformed the Palgori area into an interactive space for the public. The Foundation also plans to launch a campaign in partnership with UNICEF to promote social value.

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In partnership with Dongdaemun Migliore, the Seoul Design Foundation will open the Seoul Design Startup Center Dongdaemun Campus in December 2025. Designed for entrepreneurs in the lifestyle and fashion sectors, the campus will offer a full support package including private offices, pop-up spaces, market opportunities, and a photo studio. Applications will be open to brands at various stages of growth, from startups founded within the past two years to more established brands with over five years of experience. Resident brands will receive support linked to the Seoul Design Foundation’s broader infrastructure, including DDP, and will be given opportunities to grow through joint programs. Aimed at revitalizing the Dongdaemun commercial district and expanding the startup ecosystem, the project seeks to promote mutual growth for both entrepreneurs and the local business community.

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The Seoul Design Foundation has signed an agreement with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to present a vision for the future of sustainable design. The partnership will promote joint responses to global environmental challenges such as the circular economy and zero waste, while advancing educational programs and pilot projects. Based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Seoul Design Award received 941 project submissions from 74 countries, and will hold its awards ceremony and conference at DDP on October 24. The Top 10 projects include innovative designs addressing social challenges such as the climate crisis and urban issues, with the grand prize to be selected through citizen voting.

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Seoul Design Week 2023 will be held at DDP from October 15 to 26, featuring a wide range of programs that highlight the future of design and emerging trends. Its flagship exhibition, the DDP Design Fair, will bring together 70 brands, giving visitors the opportunity to engage directly with lifestyle brands. On October 17 and 18, a design conference will explore the role of designers and the meaning of taste in the age of AI. In addition, a variety of special exhibitions and citizen-participation events—including Sitting Seoul, Appendix, and Design Life—will also take place. Seoul Design Week has established itself as a major event that showcases Seoul’s design excellence to the world.

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From September 26 to 28, the Seoul Design Foundation will host the 2025 DDP Autumn Festival: Design Lounge at Palgori and the park area of DDP. Conceived as an art lounge shaped by citizen participation, the festival will feature artists such as graffiti artist Koma and pop artist Kim Tae-il, offering hands-on experiences in which visitors help complete the artworks themselves. A variety of other programs will also be available, including tape drawing, live caricatures, and one-day classes. Accompanied by classical and orchestral busking performances, and joined by local businesses and companies, the festival will offer a unique artistic experience in the heart of the city.

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The Seoul Design Foundation successfully hosted Design Miami In Situ, the first exhibition of its kind in Asia, reaffirming the global standing of K-design. Held at DDP over 14 days, the exhibition featured 16 galleries and 71 designers, showcasing more than 170 works. Representatives from Design Miami expressed great admiration for the creativity and uniqueness of Seoul’s design scene and shared their hope of collaborating again for next year’s exhibition. A design talk held alongside the exhibition also explored the global competitiveness of Korean design. Through this event, Seoul further solidified its position as a key hub in the global design network.

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Seoul has been selected as the host city for the 2027 World Design Organization (WDO) General Assembly, which will commemorate the organization’s 70th anniversary. The General Assembly will take place in September, centered around DDP, and will feature a range of programs under the theme “Design for a Sustainable Life.” Since being designated a World Design Capital in 2010, Seoul has significantly enhanced its city brand value through design. The event is expected to attract around 2,000 participants from around the world, providing Seoul with an important opportunity to lead global design discourse and expand the international reach of the K-design industry.

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Celebrating its 11th anniversary, DDP has already surpassed 10 million visitors this year and is expected to reach 20 million annual visitors. With a facility utilization rate of 80%, the Design Museum is fully booked through 2028, while more than 1,000 global events—including exhibitions by Chanel, Dior, and Tim Burton—have been held at the venue. Seoul Light DDP, which makes use of DDP’s 222-meter exterior façade, has won all three of the world’s leading design awards. In the second half of the year, major exhibitions and festivals—including Asia’s first Design Miami, Seoul Fashion Week, and Seoul Design Week—will continue in succession, further establishing DDP as a global platform for design and culture.

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This fall, the Seoul Upcycling Plaza will present fashion, exhibitions, and resource-circulation programs under the theme of “Sustainable Design Lifestyle.” On September 14, DDP will host “Ddaengdaeng Runway,” a zero-waste fashion show featuring pet dogs, along with a look-alike contest. The Upcycling Special Exhibition, held in collaboration with Sookmyung Women’s University, will showcase works created using discarded materials and traditional weaving techniques. The toy-circulation project “Sharing Hero,” which involves senior participation, will also be expanded, and to date, 48 tons of upcycling materials have been traded. Through these efforts, the Seoul Design Foundation plans to extend the value of upcycling across culture and industry as a whole.

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The Seoul Design Foundation drew great public interest as 610,000 visitors attended Seoul Light DDP 2025 Autumn, held from August 28 to September 7. The media art displayed on the exterior of DDP was officially recognized for its artistic and technical excellence by being listed in the Guinness World Records. On September 14, a zero-waste fashion show with pet dogs and a senior fashion show were held. Emphasizing sustainable fashion and intergenerational collaboration, the event also offered a variety of citizen participation programs. DDP will continue to strengthen its role as a global cultural platform where art, technology, and public participation come together.

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The Seoul Design Foundation operated the Seoul Pavilion at Maison&Objet Paris together with a total of 20 brands, showcasing the innovation of K-design to the world. The exhibition featured a wide range of design fields, including living, tradition, and sustainability, with particular attention drawn to works that reinterpreted Korean tradition in a contemporary way. Emerging designers enhanced their brand recognition through consultations with international buyers, and some products led to actual contracts. In addition, works by winners of the DDP and Seoul Haechi Goods Challenge were also exhibited, attracting strong interest.

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The Seoul Design Award 2025 will be held on October 24 at DDP Art Hall 1. This year, a record-breaking 941 projects from 74 countries were submitted, making it the largest edition in the award’s history. Centered on the theme of design for a sustainable future, the event will feature both a conference and an awards ceremony. Participants may attend free of charge through online advance registration, while on-site paid registration will also be available. Winners will be selected through live announcements, evaluations by a global jury, and citizen voting. The event is expected to serve as an important opportunity for Seoul to further establish itself as a hub for sustainable design.

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Seoul Design Week 2025 will take place at DDP from October 15 to 26 under the theme of design, designers, and design life. At the conference on October 17 and 18, leading Korean and international figures in design and culture—including Kim Jung-woon, Noh Hee-young, and Jang Dong-seon—will explore the intersection of AI, creativity, and design in industry. Participants will receive benefits such as DDP Design Fair tickets and books published by the speakers. Through a wide range of programs—including the Design Fair, special exhibitions, Seoul Design Spot, and the Living Design Market—the event will further strengthen Seoul’s standing as a global platform for K-design.

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From August 28 to September 14, 2025 DDP Design & Art will be held at DDP. The event will feature large-scale outdoor installations by artists from France and Australia, along with Garden of Creation, a special exhibition showcasing 35 emerging Korean designers. Together, these programs will offer citizens an artistic experience to enjoy as if on a leisurely stroll. With the fall special tour “Touchable vs. Collectible” and its connection to the Design Miami Seoul exhibition, the event will further strengthen Seoul’s position as a global design hub.

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Seoul Light DDP 2025 Summer concluded successfully after an 11-day run from July 31 to August 10, attracting 510,000 visitors despite the extreme heat. Under the theme “TIMESCAPE: The Texture of Light,” visitors strolled through the park while experiencing immersive media art, including major works such as Light Drops and Fluid Memory, along with a hanbok fashion show. Beginning August 28, Seoul Light DDP 2025 Autumn will open with an expanded media art program featuring artists such as Laurent Grasso, d’strict, and Aka Chang, as well as a new work created in collaboration with OpenAI.

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From August 14 to November 16, DDP will host the immersive media art exhibition Spectral Crossings. Combining 144 kinetic crystals with lasers, AI, and an anamorphic screen, the exhibition is designed to let visitors visually experience the flow of emotions, presenting a new form of installation art that moves across the boundaries of technology and art. An artist talk will also be held on August 22, where the artist will share the creative process and inspiration behind the work.

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The Seoul Design Foundation will host the DDP Design Fair at DDP from October 15 to 19. Under the theme “Design, Designer, Design Life,” the fair will bring together around 90 domestic and international brands and offer a wide range of design experiences, including exhibitions, talks, and live commerce. Starting August 6, super early bird tickets with discounts of up to 60% will go on sale. In collaboration with fashion and lifestyle platform 29CM, the fair will also showcase a selection of highly curated brands. A special exhibition section for young designers will also be presented.

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The Seoul Design Foundation will present the first-ever Design Miami exhibition in Asia at DDP from September 1 to 14. Under the theme “Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design,” the exhibition will feature more than 170 works by 71 Korean and international artists, with participation from 16 world-renowned galleries, including Carpenters Workshop Gallery and Salon 94. Held concurrently with Frieze Seoul and Kiaf, the event is expected to further position Seoul as a leading art hub in Asia.

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The Seoul Design Foundation will host the DDP Summer Festival: Design Holiday from July 31 to August 3. Citizen-participation spaces such as the Design Trail themed around board games and the Uphill Playground will be set up, offering a wide range of activities including giant pinball, block-stacking, and paper airplane missions. At Eoullim Square, visitors can also enjoy urban activities such as night running and the Red Bull Road Gap skateboarding event. During the same period, Seoul Light DDP Summer and special tours will also take place, offering a unique summer getaway in the heart of the city.

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The Seoul Design Foundation will present [Seoul Light DDP 2025 Summer] from July 31 to August 10. Under the theme “TIMESCAPE: The Texture of Light,” the event will feature immersive media art and interactive exhibitions making use of the fortress walls, Iganusu Gate, and newly created water spaces. On the opening day, a hanbok fashion show and live performances will also take place.

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The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Design Foundation are moving forward in earnest with the 2025 Industrial Design Development Support Program for SMEs to strengthen the design competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises. At the orientation held at DDP on July 3, 40 SME–design company consortia in sectors such as AI, software, and consumer goods signed partnership agreements. Through one-on-one diagnostics, coordinating, mentoring, and training, the program aims to enhance brand competitiveness and drive tangible sales growth, with the results to be unveiled during Seoul Design Week.

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On June 30, the Seoul Design Foundation held the “Seoul Design Startup Center 7th Cohort Kick-off Day” at DDP, marking the start of a full-fledged journey for 34 young design startups with diverse business ideas ranging from traditional crafts to AI-based content. The Foundation selects companies that are within seven years of founding and provides one-stop support in areas such as branding, networking, and distribution. Through company introductions, expert lectures, a talk concert, and networking sessions, the event also sought to expand the design startup ecosystem.

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Starting in July, the Seoul Design Foundation will begin recruiting participants for “DDPlay Busking,” a street performance program designed to transform DDP’s outdoor spaces into open stages where any citizen can perform. Applications are open regardless of genre, experience, or age, and selected participants will be able to perform in designated areas after a preliminary review. As a first step toward making design culture part of everyday life, the program is expected to expand DDP into a citizen-participatory design playground while also helping revitalize the surrounding commercial area.

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This summer, the Seoul Design Foundation will present exhibitions, a forum, and a special store program at DDP that reflect the spirit of the times. The exhibition “Language of the Era” explores the relationship between technology and design through everyday devices such as typewriters and televisions, while the exhibition and forum “What’s Your Favorite Chair?”, presented in collaboration with Magazine C, shed light on iconic chairs and trends in the furniture industry. In addition, the DDP Design Store will feature OIMU as its “Pick of July,” expanding design into an everyday experience.

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The world-renowned design fair Design Miami will hold its first exhibition in Asia at the Iganusu Gate Exhibition Hall at Seoul’s DDP from September 1 to 14. Under the theme “Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design,” the Seoul Design Foundation will highlight the creativity and originality of Korean designers, while also presenting a range of related programs across DDP. Taking place during the same period as Frieze Seoul, the event is expected to further elevate Seoul’s status in the global design scene.

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In June, the Seoul Design Foundation signed a memorandum of understanding with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to promote the design industry and international cooperation, marking a new step toward stronger global partnerships. The agreement focuses on fostering the design ecosystem, supporting entrepreneurship, and co-hosting global exhibitions. Meanwhile, Seoul is also drawing attention as a candidate city to host the World Design Organization (WDO) General Assembly. Centered on DDP and backed by sustainable design infrastructure, the Foundation aims to enhance Seoul’s global competitiveness and position the city as a leading design hub in Asia.

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The Seoul Design Foundation is recruiting teams through July 7 for the 2025 Doggone Runway Zero-Waste Solberton, a program in which participants create fashion items for pet dogs using their owners’ old clothes and other discarded resources. The completed works will be unveiled at the DDP Fashion Show in September, and participants will receive creative support, mentoring, and certificates of completion. This program is a citizen-participation project that combines sustainability with a healthy pet culture, and it is also drawing attention as a model for entrepreneurship and job creation.

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The Seoul Design Foundation is moving forward in earnest with the [DDP Design Fair] University Collaboration Program, which connects young designers with leading Korean companies. Twenty teams, working with companies such as LG Electronics and Nongshim, will develop products through hands-on industry experience and unveil the results at the DDP Design Fair in October. In addition, through [DDP Design Store Pick], the Foundation is spotlighting trend-forward design brands and further energizing the overall design ecosystem by launching a collaborative clock with its first featured brand, Bmix.

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On June 13, the Seoul Design Foundation held a special program for the laser art exhibition Binary Resonance at DDP, featuring an artist talk with Yoon Je-ho and an audiovisual performance combined with traditional percussion. Blending traditional rhythms with laser technology, the performance stimulated the audience’s five senses and offered a new media art experience in which art and technology, everyday life and perception, resonated together. The event was open to the public free of charge through advance reservation.

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To mark Environment Month in June, the Seoul Design Foundation is operating a variety of eco-friendly programs at DDP and the Seoul Upcycling Plaza that citizens can participate in. Under the themes of resource circulation and ecological transition, the programs include hands-on experiences, exhibitions, educational programs, and markets. In addition, the Seoul Design Award 2025 is accepting submissions through June 30.

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Seoul Design Foundation (SDF) hosted the “AI X Design Thinking” seminar and workshop at DDP on May 28th and 29th. The program was designed and offered to public servants, general public, and those in the design field to enhance their creative problem-solving capabilities as called for by the age of AI. Dr. Monchu Chen—an AI and HCI researcher at Google—and Dr. Kursat Ozenc, a lecturer at Stanford D. School, hosted lectures and offered insights on AI-based design innovation and people-centered service designs.

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Seoul Design Foundation (SDF) signed an MOU with MUSINSA’s fashion and lifestyle platform “29CM” on May 15th at DDP for the successful completion of [DDP Design Fair], which is set to open during the [Seoul Design Week] to be held this October. The MOU outlines both parties’ cooperation in the recruitment and selection of design brands and joint marketing and sales support in order to nurture the design industry’s ecosystem that connects designers’ creativity with actual sales. In particular, DDP Design Fair—a major event that presents the “Taste of Seoul”—is set to be hosted in DDP Art Hall from October 15th to 19th, inviting about 100 Korean and international brands. 29CM is a popular brand among Gen MZ as a “select shop with excellent sensitivity and vibes” that focuses on their brand story. The cooperation is expected to pioneer a new market for the new brands and the development of the Seoul design industry.

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Seoul Design Foundation (SDF) transformed DDP into a fantastic design theme park in May and presented diverse cultural programs for the public. The outdoor areas of the plaza featured a large “fantasy castle”-themed installation and a Haechi balloon, together with the “Float Up Parade” and art projects that invited visitors to participate. The event also showcased interactive zones set up by global brands such as PLAYMOBIL and OMY, along with family-friendly programs including “Star Wars Day 2025,” Carrie TV content, kids' market, and flea market. Grass Hill hosted daily music concerts of traditional Korean gugak, classical music, as well as a heartwarming stage of Heart to Heart Orchestra throughout the event period, with SDF offering design classes and DDP Children’s Tours.

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Seoul Design Foundation (SDF) hosted the open public event “My Own Planet” at Seoul Upcycling Plaza. The event included entertaining programs such as toy donation event, upcycling art exhibition, and interactive art programs for Gen Z to learn about sustainable lifestyles in fun and easy ways. SDF signed an MOU with green social enterprise Kokkiri Gongjang and operated the toy donation event jointly. The enterprise will also establish a store in Seoul Upcycling Plaza within the year. Anyone who visited the event with toys during the event period could check whether their toys could be upcycled using an AI kiosk. Also held on May 5, Children’s Day, and May 6 were special events (first-come, first-served, 1,000 pieces) that exchanged old toys with new ones.

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Seoul Design Foundation (SDF) signed the “MOU for the Creation of Seoul-style Generational Connecting Resource Recycling City Infrastructure” with Seoul 50 Plus Foundation and Seoul Foundation of Women and Family (SFWF) on April 16th at Seoul Upcycling Plaza. The MOU aims to establish a recycling system using toys, create jobs for senior citizens, and enhance the quality of childcare services. The participating institutions agreed to cooperate across the entire toy upcycling process including toy collection, repair, cleaning, and recycling, utilizing their respective fields of expertise. This collaboration contributes to the realization of “Seoul Vision 2030” and the achievement of ESG values through a reinforced upcycling model unique to Seoul.

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Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) hosted in April 2025 a special spring event featuring various music concerts including classical and pop music, as well as exhibitions. Seoul Design Foundation (SDF) offered diverse and festive programs including DDPlay, Rooftop Tour, exhibitions, and more, with DDP as Seoul’s noteworthy landmark in the background. In particular, the “DDP Rooftop Tour”—which was a roaring success last year—returned as a permanent program that invites people to stroll along Seoul’s skyline. There were also other diverse exhibitions with space as theme, including industrial products, beauty, fashion, and more. SDF’s rich cultural content is expected to add newfound vitality to the Dongdaemun area.

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To celebrate the 11th anniversary of opening of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Seoul Design Foundation (SDF) launches a series of projects aimed at strengthening cooperation with the local commercial community and revitalizing the local economy. By opening the “Seoul Design Incubating Center Campus 2”—a startup incubating space for emerging designers—on the 7th floor of the Migliore Dongdaemun branch, SDF seeks to create a design playground that encourages creative experiments. The new campus is expected to attract promising domestic and international designers and allow tourists and visitors to see new products. SDF also plans to increase the number of businesses affiliated with the “Super Pass”—a discount coupon book accepted around Dongdaemun—to vitalize the local economy. Along with these plans, SDF intends to host public festivals and events with DDP at its center continuously.

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<Seoul Light DDP> received all three major international design awards — Red Dot Design Award (2023), International Design Excellence (IDEA) Awards (2023), and iF Design Awards (2025). As the winner of the iF Design Awards, "The Poem of Poems" is a re-interpretation of artwork by Kim Hwan-ki into media art, presented in celebration of the 10th anniversary of DDP and the 50th anniversary of the artist's passing. From this year onwards, <Seoul Light DDP> will be held three times a year, adding the summer event to the existing autumn and winter season events. The event will feature various programs and content, including the media art on the facade of DDP, light shows, water-themed area, and more.

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Seoul Design Foundation announced a plan to develop Seoul Upcycling Plaza into an eco-friendly theme park in 2025. The opening of "Toy Repair Shop" is aimed at promoting recycling and jobs for seniors, and the expansion of "Seoul Zero Market" bases also encourages eco-friendly consumption habits. In addition, the bi-annual hosting of "Zero Waste Festival" will provide opportunities to experience sustainable lifestyles on Earth Day and in autumn fashion shows. The project also plans to operate "Zero Waste Academy"—which will be expanded further to public institutes and students—to educate 20,000 people per year. The project—in collaboration with private businesses—also involves the establishment of "Zero Waste Eco-friendly Theme Park," which entails the development of Seoul Upcycling Plaza as the hub for resource recycling and sustainable designs.

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Seoul Design Foundation announced the "New Perspective" project, which will bring transformative changes to the area around DDP and Dongdaemun. DDP will transform into a design larchiveum(library + archive + museum) under the project, heightening public accessibility with the installation of escalators, design education spaces, and more. In addition, DDP Park will be turned into a design park with a water-filled area including night light to serve as a tourist destination. The project also involves the establishment of a design startup center and expansion of global networking facilities to foster a startup-friendly ecosystem. The project will roll out in phases from 2025 to 2027, gradually transforming DDP into a global hub for design innovation.

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Seoul Design Foundation hosted <Seoul Light DDP 2024 Winter> from December 19 to 31, 2024. Themed "5 Cheers!: Relay of Messages of Hope," the event invited 5 artists from Korea and overseas to present an ultra-scale media facade artwork projected across DDP's 222-meter-long exterior. In addition, the DDP Design market hosted 24 teams that offered unique products and programs inviting visitors to participate. As one of the major events of the <Seoul Winter Festa> hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office, the event presented a special end-of-season experience to the people with a festival of lights in winter.

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Seoul Design Foundation offered a trial run of "DDP Rooftop Tour" in celebration of the 10th anniversary of the opening of DDP. The tour expanded the indoor-focused routes previously offered by "DDP Architecture Tour" and invited participants to walk on the roof of DDP, which is made with aluminum panels and "stonecrops"—a type of desert plant—to present a new view of the Dongdaemun area. The tour was offered in a limited number of sessions with 220 participants in all as a trial run from October 25, 2024 to November 17, 2024, before its official launch in 2025. The tour attracted 60,000 simultaneous accesses when booking was opened to the public, resulting in 97.3% of the participants being satisfied and 93% of them being happy to participate in the program again. The event was wrapped up without any injuries or accidents, leaving only special memories to the participants.

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The <Seoul Design Awards 2024> awards ceremony was held at DDP Design Hall on October 25. The winner of the grand prize of <Seoul Design Awards 2024> was EYELIKE PLATFORM, a joint project of India and South Korea. It was the first time for a team with Korean designers to win the grand prize of the Seoul Design Awards. Having invited teams from 65 countries from all over the world, the event received 61.5% more applications than the previous year.

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Held from October 17 to 27, 2024, Seoul Design 2024 explored the impact of AI in the design scene through exhibitions, markets, conferences, unit events, and various programs presented by artists, designers, small proprietors, and corporate teams under the theme of "Imagine Tomorrow." Running for 11 days, <Seoul Design 2024> was hosted in 256 design spots across the Seoul metropolitan area as well as DDP, recording a total of 1.33 million visitors (online & offline).

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Chairman of the Board Kim Hyun-sun and CEO Cha Kang-heui received their certificates of appointment at the mayor's office in the Seoul Metropolitan Office on October 2, 2024.

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The mega-sized media facade festival <Seoul Light DDP 2024 Autumn> shone a splendor of lights in the urban center of Seoul in the autumn of 2024. The event depicted the moments of records that connect the past, present, and future in lights under the <Future Log: Future Recorded in Lights> theme. The featured artwork of this season's Seoul Light is <The Poem of Poems>, a re-interpretation of an artwork by abstract art master Kim Hwan-ki. The event also featured <Invitation>, a celebratory work created to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of DDP. A total of 610,000 people visited <Seoul Light DDP 2024 Autumn> during the 11-day event.

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Seoul Design Foundation hosted <DDP Design & Art>—one of Korea's most esteemed design festivals—from August 29 to September 2024. New artworks of Swiss artist Felice Arini were displayed along Design Pathway including "Our Beating Heart," a heart-shaped mirror ball, at Grass Hill. Meanwhile, DDP Park hosted "Aperture," an interactive modular installation with natural curves and frame-like holes. The festival also invites visitors to join the "DDP Art Talks & Tours" program and the exhibition.

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DDP hosted <DDP Summer Festival: Design Vibe SEOUL CITY PICNIC> in August 2024 and transformed its grounds into a "special holiday destination where people can enjoy a picnic in the city." During the festival period, Seoul Design Foundation opened <DDP Picnic Center> in DDP Oullim Square and lent picnic sets to visitors. Visitors were invited to take part in a total of 27 programs to explore every nook and cranny of DDP, hunting for entertainment and working out by walking the grounds and carrying a green-themed bag and a picnic mat. The event was visited by 170,000 picnic-goers during its three-day run.

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Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Seoul Design Foundation held the DDP Spring Festival to celebrate Family Month on the 10th anniversary of DDP's opening. To mark the DDP's 10th anniversary, this festival held over 30 various programs, including a design animal playground, character parade, and grass hill concert, under the theme of ‘Design Zoo’, an animal-free zoo. It was very popular among citizens, with a turnout of 250,000 visitors who withstood the rainy, inclement weather. During the festival period, there was an average of 62,000 visitors per day.

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To mark the 10th anniversary after DDP's opening, the Seoul Design Foundation selected <Amazing Tomorrow> as its new slogan. A slogan declaration ceremony and forum were held at DDP Design Hall on April 26, 2024.
The new slogan, ‘Amazing Tomorrow (future)’, replaces ‘Dream, Design, Play’, which has been used for 10 years since the venue opening in 2014.
‘Amazing Tomorrow’ captures the ambition to deliver an experience that will pleasantly surprise future citizens and foreigners through the DDP, which showcases a future-oriented building design resembling a spaceship, cutting-edge construction technology, and content.

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To mark the 10th anniversary of the opening of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), various DDP birthday celebration events were held for four days starting on March 21, 2024. Congratulatory visits and greetings from 218,265 citizens in all took place at the 10th anniversary event of DDP held over four days. Various events were held at DDP on its 10th anniversary.

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The Seoul Design Foundation published a white paper, , which contains examples of applying design to various facets of daily life. It is part of a project launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the foundation to create a ‘sustainable and happy daily life in Seoul. This information book contains daily life in the design city of Seoul, from cases of addressing social problems through design to upcycling design practiced alongside families in everyday life for a sustainable Seoul.

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The main content of Seoul Light DDP Winter 2023 is Digital Atlantis by Giantstep. The festival invites citizens to its design journey searching for the order in nature and people. On every hour between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., Digital Atlantis shows the great nature with breathtaking details such as the deep sea, dense forest, high rocks, and waterfalls and digitalized cities for 10 minutes.

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The exterior wall of DDP consists of 45,133 aluminum panels with varying shapes. DDP 45133 is a project that issues NFTs, adopting the concept of digital canvas on 45,133 silver exterior panels covering DDP. NFTs will be issued in three stages starting December 21, 2023.

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Seoul Universal Design Award is a contest that seeks to expand social awareness and bring more happiness to our daily lives free of discrimination and to make people-oriented cities where every person is respected. Celebrating its third anniversary in 2023, Seoul Universal Design Award presented exceptional universal designs in four categories (Environment Creation-Public/Private, Service, Products) that exhibit the commitment to all people living in the same world. In the awards ceremony held on November 8, 2023, 13 teams received the award and had their works displayed.

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The awards ceremony for Seoul Design Award 2023, an international design award honoring design projects that present creative and sustainable solutions to solve everyday issues, was held on October 25, 2023 at DDP Art Hall 1. Seoul Mayor Se-hoon Oh attended the ceremony to present the award in person and gave a congratulatory message to the winners.
The Grand Award went to a jar that makes drinking water in regions suffering from water shortage and Amphora that provides safe drinking water to the people of Tunisia using solar energy and moisture in the air.

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Seoul Design 2023, a festival of design where you can see the newest design trend in Seoul at a glance, was held at DDP for 10 days from October 24 through November 2.
The topic of this year’s festival, where one can meet the present and the future of K-design, was Valuable Life. Over 20 programs were arranged—such as exhibitions, conferences, markets, and sideline events—in collaboration with companies from Korea and abroad, designers, and SMEs by interpreting the role of design as we build a sustainable future from the ESG point of view.

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SDF selected 40 design assets of Seoul in 2022 with the aim of discovering outstanding design assets of Seoul and contributing to the efforts of the city to boost its urban competitiveness and create future values.
Designs were newly added to the list of Seoul's design assets after 10 years since 51 designs were chosen as Seoul design assets back in 2009. SDF published Seoul Design Assets Vol. 2, which captures the history, excellence, and differentiating points of 40 design assets selected in 2022. Seoul Design Assets Vol. 2 is a book that allows readers to grasp easily the value and history of designs divided into a total of 10 categories, including old palaces, architecture, villages, streets, cultural heritage, markets, transportation, visuals, performance, and information.

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DDP Autumn Festival 2023 was held alongside other programs like Seoul Light DDP Autumn and Midnight in Seoul between August 31 and September 30 with the name Design & Art.
Seoul Light DDP in particular began with the question “Can real nature that has existed since the beginning of time and technological nature created by people coexist?” through artworks like Miguel Chevalier’s Meta-Nature AI and Dan Acher x LG OLED’s Borealis at DDP.
We'd like to discover the “sense of coexistence” that allows humans and nature to interchange and coexist, instead of unilaterally controlling and dominating nature. Meet the new form of nature reinvented by lights (projections) that existed before anything else in the world materialized by science and technology, and experience not only a sense of coexistence but also biophilia.

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Seoul Light DDP, a massive media facade exhibition on a 222m area of the curved exterior of DDP, was named Winner of the Red Dot Design Award 2023 in the Brands & Communication Design competition. Seoul Light DDP is a colossal media art exhibition spanning 222m held at DDP.

DDP Spring Festival 2023: DDP Design Playground was held from May 4 through 7. In celebration of the 101st Children’s Day, SDF installed and operated a carousel usually found in large amusement parks in Oulim Square in DDP as a special event. This was not all—DDP held a variety of programs including an exhibition of K-characters in CookieRun and Bellygom that are enjoying worldwide popularity, outdoor movie screenings and concerts, food trucks, and experience programs such as paper plane flying event and children’s sharing market. What’s special about the event was that visitors were provided with a lot of benefits through Dongdaemun Super Pass, a joint promotional event between DDP and a neighboring commercial district in Dongdaemun.

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SDF unveiled interview videos with 37 designers titled Design Seoul Story: 100 Years of Design Through Interviews on the SDF website. The video archive was put together to keep a record of interview videos of designers who have led the transformation of people and the city with design and provide insights to future generations because there are few records on designers who have propelled the development of Korea and the city of Seoul.
The 37 designers who were interviewed are hidden pioneers in different areas of design such as the first person who taught design in Korea, a designer who designed electronics, and designers who are called Korea’s first generation of designers. They consist of 11 space and environment designers, 11 graphic designers, 11 industrial designers, two craft designers, one service designer, and one in design management.

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SDF showcased the DDP brand pavilion in Milan Design Week 2023.
The DDP brand pavilion was arranged with the concept SEOUL.IZE, which interpreted DDP leading Seoul as a city where people around the world would love to visit as well as the latest trends, with lively, energetic design.
A total of 13 products were featured in the pavilion, such as: Beyond ddp series by designer Jungki Sung, illustrating DDP’s history, value, and architectural materials used; Stack by designers Seulgi Kim and Jihye Yoo who were inspired by the stunning sculptural staircase at DDP; and DD.Pium, a plant pot shaped like DDP, by Young Joon Jung.
Inside the pavilion, videos of Seoul Light, one of the major public events at DDP, Lucid Dreams: 5 Colors_Jaesung Park, 2021, and Opposites United_Kia Design, 2022 were screened to let visitors experience the feelings from the time.

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SDF signed a business agreement with four institutions including the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, Korea Craft & Design Foundation, and Designhouse on April 10, 2023.
The agreement was concluded to plan and host the country’s marquee design events that lead the global design industry through collaboration with the government, local governments, and private sector for the globalization of K-design.

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SDF held Seoul Light DDP, a mega light show with the theme Going beyond infinity to build a cosmic life, in the winter of 2022 starting December 17, 2022 through January 1, 2023. Despite the record-breaking chill, over 500,000 people flocked to Seoul Light DDP both online and offline. The event was concluded successfully, posting a 97% citizen satisfaction rate.
Seoul Light DDP welcomed the new year with Countdown, a media art by Hello Man that conveyed the hope and excitement for the new year. Seoul Light, which adorned the night sky above DDP, was even featured in the Watch-Night Bell ringing event broadcast live from Gwanghwamun, Jonggak, and DDP, earning raves from citizens.

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SDF held the ESG management announcement ceremony on December 22, 2022, showing its commitment to ESG management by embracing environment-friendly practices, fulfilling its corporate social responsibility, and having business transparency.
Attended by SDF CEO Kyung-don Rhee and the management and employees of SDF, the ceremony aimed to demonstrate SDF’s willingness internally and externally to grow as an organization dedicated to design trusted by citizens and to adopt ESG management through responsible management and transparent governance (G) on environment (E) and society (S).

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As a prominent event from Seoul Beauty Month held across the city of Seoul around the same time, the 2022 DDP Autumn Festival consists of a variety of contents provided for free, with which visitors can enjoy high-quality culture and arts. Such contents include K-Culture Fashion Show and Seoul Light, programs catering to Millennials and Gen Z in their 20s and 30s interested in beauty and fashion, and others that let citizens have fun in downtown Seoul in autumn, a great season for outings.

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The Seoul Design 2022 is Korea’s representative MICE event held during Seoul’s major design events such as 'Seoul Design Week', festival of design for citizens, and 'DDP Design Fair' as the design business launching show.
Held all over Seoul with DDP at its center, the event was also expanded to the virtual world (Metaverse). It includes professionals in the design industry and other related fields, leading global design trends in name and reality.
The theme of the Seoul Design 2022, 'Beautiful Life', captured hope to encourage citizens to enjoy the restored daily life after the COVID-19 pandemic and to communicate design’s role and value of promising a better life and a sustainable future.
The Seoul Design 2022 introduced design corporations in Korea and abroad and design hotspots in Seoul leading global design trends, newly presented novel design products jointly developed by designers and small business operators, and operated various programs to offer new job opportunities to young designers.

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The new Design Magazine Library featuring global design trends opened in July 2022 on the third floor of the DDP Design Lab. The Design Magazine Library is a small library where visitors can view the design history in Korea and abroad as well as a highly compact database center through which visitors can experience the significant portion of daily life taken up by design and utilize the data. The library is stocked with 107 magazines published in Korea and abroad specializing in graphic design, industrial design, architecture and interior design, beauty and fashion, and lifestyle.

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As the first special exhibition by the Design Museum, 'Meta-Horizons: The Future Now is a collaborative exhibition' between the Seoul Design Foundation and Zaha Hadid Architects(ZHA). Under the theme 'Innovation, Imagination, Interaction' the exhibition showcased the outcome and procedure of design works achieved by the late world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid, who pursued futuristic design while traversing past and present, reality and imagination, and between multiple genres. Each of the three sections of the exhibition explored ZHA’s concerns like “How greater the opportunities we will be able to obtain if we can simultaneously work on the cyber world and reality” and “How greater the possibilities we will be able to obtain from the development of digital design tools.”

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The DDP Spring Festival themed 'DDP Design Playground' celebrated the 100th anniversary of Children’s Day in 2022. The festival was the first contact event in DDP two years after the Korean government lifted social distancing, with various programs entertaining children all over the DDP venue.
Main programs included movies and LP DJ gigs at the grass hill, DDP Design Market, and Experiential Classes for Children, including a concert with the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. Many places in DDP were transformed into playgrounds for children to see, play, and shop. Stand-out installations of giant teddy bear balloons by pop artist Im Ji-bin in particular served as popular photo spots. For safety concerns, reservations were mandatory.

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The Seoul Design Foundation invited heads of design groups to the 2022 Project Meeting. Rhee Kyung-don, president of the Seoul Design Foundation, gave a presentation on the four major projects to provide citizens with new design experiences combining digital technology and design and sought design content for the future of DDP with the help of leading design groups. The four major projects included turning designs into digital assets to build the 2022 digital design platform, holding the Seoul Design 2022 and the Global Design Awards, and opening the Design Magazine Library.

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The 'Human City Design Awards' which marked their third year, are an international design awards event to honor individuals or companies contributing to the development of sustainable cities with harmonious relations between people and society and people and the environment. The third annual contest expanded to all design fields, including product, visual designs, digital and multimedia, space and systems, experiences, services, and social designs, in addition to the existing urban, spatial, and environmental designs. Despite restricted circumstances due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event garnered global attention and response, receiving 100 entries submitted by 22 countries.
※ In October 2022, the Human City Design Awards were renamed Seoul Design Awards to include more design fields.

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The 'Seoul Light' festival is where festival goers can enjoy watching media façade works projected on the DDP building’s exterior walls. First introduced at the end of December 2019, the annual 'Seoul Light' event attracted more than 1 million visitors; thus becoming the city’s representative landmark in the DDP area.
The theme of the third festival in 2022 was “Beautiful Life,” featuring the main media façade titled <Lucid Dream - Five Colors> by media artist and Seoul National University professor Park Je-seong. Through the fantastic virtual world created with media art, the event delivered the message of hope in times of uncertainty to Seoul and global citizens weary from the pandemic—that the harmony of man and technology can help citizens move forward.

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Seoul Design Week is a representative design festival in Seoul that presents a Seoul-style lifestyle, and has been held offline at DDP since 2014.
The 2021 Seoul Design Week, which marks its eighth anniversary, was held as a three-day seminar by implementing DDP on the representative metaverse platform 'Gathertown' on the stage of the 3D virtual space 'Metaverse,' which broke the boundary between virtual and reality.
Under the theme of 'Design Reboot', it was filled with expert speakers such as design, branding, and virtual reality, reaffirming the identity of design in the ever-changing environment, society, and culture, and seeking the direction of Seoul Design Week in the future.

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The DDP Design Fair is a business launching show specializing in new design products and services created through collaborations between small manufacturing firms and designers.
The 2021 DDP Design Fair, themed 'Create Happiness by Making Wonderful Life Beautiful,' was held on-offline simultaneously, suggesting how design trends improve daily life during hard times. The offline exhibition displayed new products, with the online version compiling a database to promote the virtuous cycle of the ecosystem of the design industry.
The fair proposed evolved lifestyles of one-person households, daily life with pets, and home offices through 106 new products and services developed based on five-month-long collaborations between small design firms and designers.

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The DDP Spring Festival opened in 2021 to celebrate Children’s Day under the theme 'Kids’ World in May in DDP.'
The festival offered special 'design' programs to introduce culture, architecture, and design customized for young children to experience design in DDP indoors and outdoors, such as live gigs presented by the recreational vehicle with a built-in stage, Architectural Tour for Children’s Day in DDP, Designers’ Workshops, and Family Programs.

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The videoconference studio 'Seoul-On' opened on the second floor of the DDP Design Lab. Equipped with Korea’s largest media studio space measuring 35 meters, the studio comes with LED display panels, high-definition video equipment, sound and lighting systems fit for a news studio, and live broadcast facility allowing real-time media transmission. The space is suitable for hosting various on- and offline as well as hybrid events, including various contactless events, international seminars, talk shows, meetings, forums, lectures, and more. The videoconference studio seats 80, whereas the videoconference meeting room seats 20.

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The theme of the 2021 'Seoul Light' was 'Seoul Haemong II'. Seoul Haemong means 'Seoul’s Dream Interpretation', which conveyed the 'light of hope' to Seoul citizens weary from the prolonged pandemic.
The media artwork expressed the image of the spring season the sentiment people feel from nature, like beautiful blossoms and birth of new life on the exterior surface of DDP to give hope to citizens.

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The Human City Design Awards are an international awards event seeking to honor outstanding design projects offering the future direction of urban design through sustainable design works to make citizens’ everyday life happy.
Marking its second year in 2020, the recognition succeeded in differentiating itself from many other design awards; thus securing its global status. Despite the tough year due to COVID-19 that struck the entire world, 99 projects from 31 countries entered the Human City Design Awards, representing about 32 percent increase in the number of entries compared to 2019.
The Grand Prize of the second Human City Design Awards went to the project "Countless Cities" from Italy. The project recreated abandoned, decrepit houses on the island of Sicily into spaces for contemporary art exhibitions and community activities. The design and art regeneration project activated the city once buried in oblivion into a major tourist attraction visited by 100,000 spectators.

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The 2020 Seoul Design Week is a global design festival that proposes lifestyles fit for Seoul. Due to the social distancing policy at the time, the event was held online under the theme 'Design for New Normal.'
At the online international forum broadcast live on YouTube in particular, design professionals in Korea and abroad shared their thoughts through fine examples of designs and design solutions responding to COVID-19.

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Registered as a Type 1 Public Museum on February 17, 2020, the DDP Design Museum was born as Korea’s one and only public design museum. To celebrate the feat, the DDP Design Museum opened its first exhibition online <Symbols of Happiness> featuring the museum’s private collection.
The exhibition aimed to discover the value of the newly reinterpreted design of five lost activities in view of daily life prior to the COVID-19 pandemic as it grafted 3D technology to overcome the limits of contactless life. The so-called <symbols of happiness> were presented in terms of five activities—'listening to music', 'watching TV', 'cleaning the house', 'doing the laundry', and 'storing food'— in addition to designs, advertisements, and texts related to these activities. Reflecting the 'island' symbolizing the five activities, the website allows viewers to discover the meaning of design in everyday life. The online exhibition lasted for one year, from December 2020 to December 23, 2021.

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In 2020, the Seoul City Government and the Seoul Design Foundation announced their support for firms and individuals with creative design ideas but suffering from hardships due to COVID-19 with cash awards totaling 2 billion won through a contest. Starting May 2020, the city government and the Seoul Design Foundation held three meetings attended by design associations representatives and professionals who listened to opinions in various design fields and provided support measures.
The contest theme was 'Designed for a Better Life for Citizens in the Era of COVID-19 and New Normal'. Some excellent ideas, selected through discussions, were supported in their execution and/or implemented to create products related to the Seoul Design Foundation projects in 2021.

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As a collaborative project between small manufacturers and designers, the DDP Design Fair functions as a platform where small firms’ 'know-how of product development' and designers’ 'ideas' meet. From product launches of various products in the fields of furniture, lighting, and daily living, small-scale manufacturers secured paths to produce and promote products while designers established business methods and networks. In 2020, the Design Fair matched online design businesses throughout the year starting November 20.

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As a global festival of light, Seoul Light marked its second anniversary in October 2020 under the theme 'Design, Life, and Hope after COVID-19'. In time for the contactless era after the pandemic, the festival presented a new world of media façades in DDP online. By adding online services, the existing offline event featuring media façade videos was uploaded to DDP’s social media network. The festival, which lasted until year-end, was directed by Turkish media artist Refik Anadol who collaborated with the Seoul Design Foundation.

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Specializing in career incubation services for young design professionals, the Seoul Design Incubating Center opened in July 2020. Located in front of Hongik University Station in Mapo district, the Seoul Design Incubating Center seeks to create jobs and establish an active start-up environment for competent next-generation designers as part of the city’s policy to support creative career incubation.
Interested applicants can receive support for all stages of design-related businesses, from developing ideas and business models to producing prototypes and products to distribution and sales. The center provides job seekers with the finest mentoring services courtesy of top professionals in the fields of design, law, and media, with the opening of businesses, exchange of ideas, and training held in one place.
The 2,987.32㎡ Seoul Design Incubating Center occupies three floors from the third to the fifth floor, housing a conference room and a 'training and support hall'(located on the third floor) to fortify the competence required in opening a business and a space reserved for tenant companies (on the fourth floor) such as meeting rooms and a photo studio equipped with a makeup room, in addition to the 'membership lounge' (on the fifth floor) including shared lounge, work stations, and design gallery where members can meet, mingle, and exchange information.

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<Women in Design> is an online exhibition to celebrate the grand opening of the DDP Design Museum. In keeping with the subtitle 'For Better Daily Life,' the exhibition examined the impact of design on women’s life and daily life inspired by thoughts expressed by more than 70 female designers in Korea and abroad. Actively utilizing online space, the event presented everyday items and meaningful design content easily identified by citizens, including how design changed women’s life.

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The DDP Design Museum was registered as a Type 1 Public Museum "No. 2020-01 by Seoul Metropolitan Government" in February 2020, heralding a new beginning as Korea’s one and only public design museum. As a public design museum representing South Korea, the Design Museum inside DDP is expected to present high-standard design exhibitions befitting the new era of design museums.

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'Seoul Light' is a media façade festival where various media contents are projected onto the curved exterior surface of the 220-meter DDP building.
The theme of the inaugural event in 2019 was 'Seoul Haemong' which offered a special experience for viewers to travel through the "space of memories' through the three chapters—the past, present, and future—of Seoul and DDP. To implement this concept, artistic director Min Se-hee and media artist Refik Anadol presented visual works that interpreted dreams using AI by collecting data from DDP’s past, present, and future. The festival attracted over 1 million spectators, becoming the new attraction in the DDP area and the city’s representative winter festival.
The Seoul Light event included a light show as well as Seoul Light Market, cultural performances, and Seoul Light Forum and Workshop, among many cultural events.

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As a design product launching show presented by small firm manufacturers and designers
the 「DDP Design Fair」 was planned to activate the urban manufacturing industry and generate jobs in the design industry. The fair supported collaborative product development by connecting small manufacturing firms and designers.
The 2019 DDP Design Fair was held from December 4 to 8 at DDP Art Hall 2 and International Seminar Hall. Divided into three sections, the event proposed design trends and lifestyles under the following themes 'The Story of Small Firms and Designers Collaborations', 'The Story of Design by Young Designers Proposed to Small Firms', and 'Now! The Story of Design Trends'.

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The Human City Design Awards ceremony honors urban design projects (individual designers or groups) whose creative designs resolve complex problems of the urban environment and propose a new vision to contribute to the harmony and sustainable relationships between people, society, environment, and nature.
The inaugural awards event in 2019 selected 12 candidates from 75 projects submitted from 25 countries in pursuit of the public value of design. Various themes of the 12 projects were noteworthy as they included Space Expansion, Nature-Friendliness, Shared Space, Collaborative Design, Tools Utilizing Natural Flow, Low-cost Housing, Shared Town Center, Collaborative Housing, and Participatory Festival. The Grand Prize went to the South African project 'The Learning and Innovation Precinct in Dunoon', which resolved urban problems through sports facilities and library designs.

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The 2019 Seoul Design Week themed 'Design Yourself' was held for seven days from September 20 to 26 in DDP. The event included the main programs such as the 1st Human City Design Awards Ceremony, 2nd Human City Design Conference, and Human City Design Exhibition as well as various collaborative programs. 'Seeking improved life through design', the design week provided participants with a venue for communication between designers and citizens, corporations and institutions, and schools and local societies and included collaborative exhibitions presented by designers and corporations, special interior design exhibitions, and design product promotions offering design solutions for life in Seoul, forums and designers’ presentations on design trends, and job fair for university students majoring in design. As a global design festival representing Seoul, Seoul Design Week proposes discourses on new designs, and it is being developed as a sustainable platform to nurture the Seoul design industry.

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The DDP(Dongdaemun Design Plaza), celebrated the fifth anniversary of its grand opening in 2019. DDP has become one of the world’s most beloved design hubs in the world, making it a famous landmark beyond the Dongdaemun area in South Korea. As a comprehensive content platform that showcased the Kansong art collection, global brands, and young designers, DDP has held 182 exhibitions and 457 events attended by 42 million spectators as of March 2019. DDP was the last posthumous project by the late architect Zaha Hadid. The special event to celebrate DDP's fifth birthday offered various participatory programs to citizens.

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Seoul Design Cloud is a design festival encompassing Seoul Design Week, Seoul Fashion Week, and Seoul Upcycling Week. Celebrating the fourth anniversary of the DDP opening, the event served as a place for citizens’ participation and communication under the theme 'Sharing Design'. The Seoul Design Cloud event was held for ten days, packed with programs like conferences, exhibitions, markets, events, and contests.
Seoul Design Cloud introduced design projects hosted by the Seoul Design Foundation in keeping with the direction of design policies of the Seoul city government, which is seeking to realize a classy, humane city utilizing universal and convenient design for all people. The event is also a venue for sharing designs among citizens and private and public sectors in Korea and abroad and communicating to support job opportunities for young people and small design firms and activate the Dongdaemun business zone.

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DDP’s main design playground for children was remodeled and reopened on September 27, 2017. The newly opened playground 'Dikidiki' was designed to nurture design sensibilities, imagination, and creativity for children when they play and have fun there. Veering away from existing playground frames, Dikidiki is a new-concept playground combining play, design, and education for children.

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The 2017 Seoul Design Week simultaneously opened all over Seoul with DDP at its center, from September 21 to 27, under the theme 'Designs in Relationship'. As a venue for "seeking a better life through design", the event is a design festival representing Seoul where designers and citizens, corporations and institutions, and schools and local societies communicated and established consensus. Marking its fourth anniversary in 2017, Seoul Design Week attracted some 25,000 participants through the cooperation between more than 500 public and private sectors in Korea and abroad, becoming a major design event meeting global standards.

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As Korea’s largest organization promoting the (upcycling) culture, 'Seoul Upcycling Plaza' opened on September 5, 2017.
For the project, the Korean word 'Saehwalyong' was newly adopted from the English word upcycling, which refers to activities of creating new use or design out of discarded objects or material in such a way that the outcome has higher quality or value than the original. Seoul Upcycling Plaza in Yongdap-dong, Seongdong-gu was founded to deliver various cultural programs, such as training classes, exhibitions, and events, for citizens to experience the concept of upcycling while increasing and disseminating the importance and awareness of upcycling.

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The first 「Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism」 a global festival of academic seminars and exhibitions for 'urban architecture,' was held in several locations in Seoul, including DDP and Donuimun Museum Village, from September 2 to November 5, 2017. Themed 'Imminent Commons,' the 2017 Seoul Biennale aimed at seeking the future of urban civilization in the shared city. As the event suggested, the theory of 'shared cities consisted' of four shared resources air, water, fire, and land and four methods of sharing: perceiving, connecting, moving, and making and reusing. The event also explored the paradigm of new urban architecture based on the Ten Commons. As co-directors, Professor Hyungmin Pai (from Korea) and Alejandro Zaera Polo (from Spain) were in charge of planning the biennale and detailed program operations and building networks in Korea and abroad.

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'The 2016 Seoul Design Week', the city’s largest global design festival participated in by citizens, was held all over the city of Seoul with DDP at its core from September 22 to October 2. The theme of the 2016 Seoul Design Week was 'Smart City, Smart Design, Smart Life,' which narrated the story of Smart City Seoul in pursuit of Smart Life via Smart Design. The event served as a place for participants to seek the roles and responsibilities of design in these fast-changing times. In addition to the main exhibition '2016 theme exhibition Smart Design Smart Life', the design week included various exhibitions, markets, conferences, and events.

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The slogan of the 2015 Seoul Design Week a design festival for all design lovers was 'Seoul’s Design Wizard'. Suggesting invisible designs, the slogan sought to share the value of ubiquitous and happy design that made citizens’ lives more convenient and comfortable.
Main programs included newly formatted programs such as Design Mate and Designers’ Party, Seoul Craft Exposition, Universal Design Exposition, Seminar, and Milan Design Film Festival, in addition to more evolved programs highlighting design such as Seoul Design Tour, Seoul Design Forum, Seoul Design Market, Seoul Design Festival, and KCC C.M.F. Trend Seminar.

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A super-large-scale exhibition by world-renowned designer Alessandro Mendini opened at the DDP Design Exhibition Hall in October 2015 under the auspices of the Seoul Design Foundation and Italian Cultural Center in Seoul. The solo exhibition bearing his name was the first of its kind in Korea and East Asia, displaying all of his works more than 600 pieces from past to present in the spacious design hall measuring a total of 1,300 square meters.

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The first Seoul Design Week was held in several locations in Seoul, including DDP and COEX, for five days. Main programs included the 'Seoul Design Spot Tour' through which citizens could travel along design attractions in Seoul, '2014 Seoul Design Festival' specializing in Korea’s representative designs, '2014 Herald Design Forum' where world-renowned design professionals shared their philosophies and ideas, 'Design Market' introducing and selling daily design products and wellbeing foods, and 'Design Talk' where design professionals shared discourses on designs inspired by Seoul.
The Seoul Design Foundation aimed to make the event a festival for Seoul citizens and tourists alike to share and experience various design contents inspired by Seoul through various categories like architecture, design, major attractions, and exhibitions and continuously and mutually develop the event as a major design festival through which the foundation collaborated with private design events.

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「The 2015 S/S Seoul Fashion Week」 Asia’s largest fashion festival, was held in DDP for six days from October 17 to 22, 2014. Celebrating its 14th anniversary, the Seoul Fashion Week disseminated the rising status of Seoul as a global fashion capital with the purpose of globalizing the Korean fashion industry by fortifying buyers’ consultation that can help Korean fashion designers export products abroad.
Hosted by the Seoul City Government and supervised by the Seoul Design Foundation and the Council of Fashion Designers of Korea, the 2015 S/S Seoul Fashion Week presented 55 Seoul Collections, 25 Generation Next shows, and 5 presentations, for a total of 85 fashion shows.

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The DDP(Dongdaemun Design Plaza) the origin of design and creative industries, had its grand opening on March 21, 2014.
DDP is a venue for introducing global design trends and innovative cases and enabling citizens and tourists to meet the past, present, and future of Seoul, South Korea. DDP considers 'Design with People' as the best value in pursuing new ideas, diverse talents, and better life.
As a platform of symbiosis and dissemination of design culture in the Dongdaemun area, DDP had 'Metonymic Landscape' as its architectural concept proposed by the late Zaha Hadid, capturing the new landscape of Dongdaemun enhanced with the value of and vision toward a new future based on the historical, cultural, social, and economic frameworks of the Dongdaemun area.

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The newly constructed landmark of Seoul seeks to secure its position as the Mecca of global fashion and design industries. The construction of Dongdaemun Design Plaza(DDP), was started on April 28, 2009 and completed in November 2013. DDP was designed by the late Iraq-born British architect Zaha Hadid, who won the international invitational design contest in August 2007. DDP is the world's largest three-dimensional free-form building with nonlinear curved lines making up the interior and exterior of the building.

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The Seoul City Government established a comprehensive master plan in 2009 to support the industrial design led by small and medium firms and opened the 'Seoul Design Support Center' in Dongdaemun on September 6 after more than a year of remodeling.
Fully supporting design-related management for small and medium firms in Seoul, the 'Seoul Design Support Center' is housed in a nine-story building where the headquarters of the Seoul Design Foundation moved so that the center can play a pivotal role in establishing networks between design groups and institutions and promote exchanges and cooperation.

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The Seoul Design Fair 2010 was held in four major design clusters, including Jamsil Sports Complex, from September 17 to October 7. The name 「Seoul Design Olympics」 which started in 2008, was changed to 「Seoul Design Fair 2010」 in 2010 as a newly born design festival for global citizens to participate in exhibitions, conferences, contests, and events.
The theme of the 'Seoul Design Fair 2010' was 'Design for All', through which participants could feel the value of design from materials used in everyday life and share their benefit with all. The design contest was participated in by designers from more than 100 countries, including noted design masters and scholars and students of prestigious academic institutions; thus making it a prestigious international event in name and reality.

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Dongdaemun History & Culture Park Opening on October 27 The Seoul City Government hosted the opening ceremony at 2 p.m. on October 27, 2009 to celebrate the completion of the 19,597㎡Dongdaemun History & Culture Park, which was open to Seoul citizens, in the park area along the Seoul fortress. The opening ceremony was for the opening of Dongdaemun History & Culture Park, Dongdaemun History Museum inside the Park, Seoul Museum of History, Dongdaemun Stadium Memorial Museum, and Design Gallery. A special exhibition was also held to celebrate the opening of the Event Hall.

The Dongdaemun Design Plaza&Park(DDP), opened the DDP Promotion Hall in April 2009 on the DDP construction site as part of the groundbreaking ceremony. The Promotion Hall displayed information, construction background and procedures of DDP, Design Seoul streets, Namsan Renaissance, Design Seoul, WDC, Regeneration of the City Center, and more. The DDP Promotion Hall was operated until November 6, 2012 following the construction of DDP.