"Creating New Markets by Integrating Design and the 4th Industrial Revolution"... Digital 'Renaissance'

Korea Institute of Design Promotion Celebrates 50th Anniversary
Director Yoon Joo-hyun: "Design-Led Digital Transformation"
Establishment of Designer Library and Museum
Promotion of Data-Driven Design Projects

Yoon Joo-hyun, President of the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, is posing at the office located in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. / Photo by Korea Institute of Design Promotion

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Daeseop] "We will focus on 'industrial intelligence' that can enhance the value of products and services through the integration of design and 4th Industrial Revolution technologies."

Yoon Joo-hyun, Director of the Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP) (age 53), announced plans to welcome a "design-led digital renaissance" ahead of the institute's 50th anniversary this year. As there is a growing demand for creating new markets by combining design with 4th Industrial Revolution technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence (AI), KIDP intends to fulfill this role.

Director Yoon emphasized, "To promote industrial intelligence, we will materialize the fusion of design and technology and design-led digital transformation. We will advance the design platform based on big data to lead the full-cycle support of manufacturing companies and the creation of premium new markets."

Since his appointment as director of KIDP in April 2018, Yoon has been focusing on "digital transformation" and "data-driven design" in his projects. He said, "With the advent of the 4th Industrial Revolution era, digital transformation has begun. The 4th Industrial Revolution is often described as the fusion of technology and humans, and design is what connects humans and technology."

To build a design archive and database, Director Yoon established the "Designer Library" in 2018. It houses and shares over 3,000 design books and research materials donated by 37 senior domestic designers.

Yoon Joo-hyun, President of the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, is emphasizing the importance of the "digital transformation" and "data-driven design." / Photo by Korea Institute of Design Promotion

In January this year, the "Design Korea Museum," where one can explore modern and contemporary Korean design materials by era, officially opened. The museum exhibits over 1,600 rare and historically valuable Korean design artifacts. Last month, the existing "DesignDB.com" website was revamped. An "Archive" category was added to the DesignDB.com site, and a "History of Korean Design" page was newly established.

Director Yoon stated, "Through digital transformation and data-driven design, we are connecting the past, present, and future through design and establishing a vision for the next 50 years. We will identify uniquely Korean designs, convert them digitally, and create high added value based on data."

He emphasized, "We plan to expand DesignDB.com into a platform that provides intelligent services such as AI, big data, and blockchain to the design community, offering insights into the past, present, and future of design."

This year, Director Yoon aims to achieve four major management goals: ▲ 22% design utilization rate ▲ support for 120 design innovation companies ▲ 95 billion KRW in design exports and a market size of 20 trillion KRW ▲ attainment of customer satisfaction grade A. These strategic tasks will be carried out based on management policies of co-prosperity, capacity building, strategic management, and social contribution.

Yoon Juhyun, President of the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, is talking about K-design and the spread of culture. / Photo by Korea Institute of Design Promotion

Director Yoon said, "Reflecting changes in the domestic design industry and management environment, we will strive to achieve the vision of becoming a global leading design innovation institution and the mission of strengthening national competitiveness and improving citizens' quality of life through design-led innovation."

The predecessor of the Korea Institute of Design Promotion was the Korea Design Packaging Center, established on May 19, 1970. In 2001, the name was changed to Korea Institute of Design Promotion, and the scope of business expanded from "industrial design" to overall "design."

Director Yoon said, "Few countries except some advanced nations like the UK and Finland have made long-term government-led efforts to promote the design industry as Korea has. The world is paying attention to Korea and K-Design, which are at the forefront of the cultural industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.