Icheon City Appoints Kwon Eunseon, Inha University Professor, as First Chief Public Designer

by Jung Doohwan

Published 30 Jan.2026 11:03(KST)

Promoting Systematic Urban Design Management

Icheon City in Gyeonggi Province announced on January 30 that it has introduced the Chief Public Designer system to systematically manage design administration and enhance the quality of public design, appointing Kwon Eunseon, adjunct professor in the Department of Design Convergence at Inha University, as the inaugural Chief Public Designer.

Kim Kyunghee, Mayor of Icheon (left), is presenting a letter of appointment to Eunseon Kwon, the inaugural Chief Public Designer, at the Daol Room in City Hall on the 29th. Provided by Icheon City

The Chief Public Designer is responsible for planning, advising, and coordinating overall policies and projects related to public design, including public spaces and public buildings.

Professor Kwon is an expert with extensive experience in both public design policy and field work, having previously served as Head of the Design Promotion Team for the Seoul Metropolitan Government. She has received numerous international design awards, including the iF Design Award and the Red Dot Design Award.

Going forward, the city plans to expand the advisory scope to include not only architecture, urban planning, and public facilities, but also public visual materials such as festivals, events, and promotions, focusing on improving the quality of public design in ways that citizens can directly experience.

Kim Kyunghee, Mayor of Icheon, stated, "By appointing a Chief Public Designer, we plan to manage public design more systematically and enhance the consistency and completeness of design across projects," adding, "We will operate the system so that public design can contribute to the overall competitiveness of the city."