Seoul Design International Forum 2025✨: Attractive City of Seoul - Designing a Better Global Life (Event Information)
Hello! Here’s some exciting news for those interested in design, cities, and a sustainable future. The Seoul Design International Forum 2025 will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, September 19, 2025, in the Multipurpose Hall, 8th floor of Seoul City Hall. This forum will be a gathering to share visions and strategies for leading Seoul as a world-class design city, bringing together renowned speakers and experts from Korea and abroad. We’re truly looking forward to it!
Universal Design in the Era of Digital Transformation - Creating a World for All Digital Transformation for Universal Design - Inclusive World
Unlike in the past, the concept of 'disability' is today recognized in accordance with aspects of information accessibility and social context. Many problems can be solved through technology. If accessibility is not considered continuously while creating a new environment, people will feel new disabilities, and to prevent this, accessibility, interaction, and cultural change must be considered. Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. Just as in the past Microsoft made it easy for people to access information and the Internet through PCs, its direction now is to help people achieve more than ever before through technology. In terms of increasing the accessibility of information by providing software services to all organizations and everyone, it can be seen that this is in line with the purpose of universal design. When we approach the concept of disability, we think of individual health and physical condition first, but disability differs from general interactions and does not represent physical characteristics or health conditions. Of the many people with disabilities, 70% are visually impaired. In addition, in the United States, about 26,000 people each year have a permanent disability due to bodily injury, and some suffer temporary discomfort due to injury. Therefore, since disability is not determined and applicable by physical conditions, but can be experienced temporarily or contextually, design should be developed and services should be prepared according to these situational criteria. There are over 1 billion people with disabilities on the planet. On top of this, as we are entering an aging society, in the future, more people may face a situation in which they need to work in a different environment or access information. Therefore, accessibility should be considered from a long-term perspective. Microsoft has already developed accessibility and high-contrast screen features in Windows since the early days of Windows in 1990, and will continue to do so in the future.Seoul Launches Unified Public Transportation Brand ‘GO SEOUL’ - Set to Become an Icon of the City
- Applicable to four modes of transportation covered by the Climate Companion Card: buses, subways, public bikes (Ddareungi), and Han River buses - ‘GO’ combined with the infinity symbol (∞) symbolizes the endlessly connected and evolving nature of Seoul’s transport - Expected to serve both as a symbol of convenience for citizens and a representative icon of the city, akin to the London Roundel - Mayor Oh: “GO SEOUL will play a key role in enhancing Seoul’s design-driven identity and global competitiveness.”
Better Cities through Design to Improve Life
The Index Project was started in 2002 to educate and encourage people worldwide to draw sustainable solutions to global and social issues. Design and design processes engage in improving the quality of our lives and the community. The project is based on a “design to improve life,” a concept that has been mentioned since 2002. Thus, we take a user-centered design approach and consider their impact on sustainable society, economy, and environment.
From Ideas to Implementation, Transforming Limits into Opportunities in Design
An inclusive city through practical design solutions With plummeting global population, we are heading toward an era where people establish their own worldviews. Wouldn’t we be able to embrace the city we are living in today a little more if we realize our ideas into practice and talk about the warmth of the world? Let’s talk about the seven key words of love, memory, enjoyment, respect, imagination, value, and nature.[The Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations] Introduction
Through the Seoul Design International Forum 2025, we are pleased to present for the first time the Design Manifesto for Citizen Aspirations. Before we begin the main program, I would like to briefly share the purpose, origins, and significance of this initiative.
AI and Social Robot in Universal Design City
The world we exist in consists of matter and spirit. Materials can be connected to robots and minds can be connected to AI, and a society where these two coexist is coming. Depending on how artificial intelligence combines with the most important nature of humans, our future can be either dystopia or utopia. In order to contribute to opening up a positive future with robots and technology, I would like to introduce the experience of conducting research and business on trans-advanced artificial intelligence robots.[Session 1] Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Fashion and Future
[Craig Kiner] Urban Development and Architectural Challenge Ladies and gentlemen and distinguished guests, it's a real pleasure to be back in Seoul and at Dongdaemun Design Plaza. Like Mayor Oh mentioned before, there are a lot of memories of this place, from the beginning back in 2008 to the grand opening in 2014 — and even the groundbreaking four years before that. Thank you for the invitation to attend the Seoul Design International Forum. On behalf of Dr. Schumacher and myself, I'd like to thank Mayor Oh for his vision, leadership, and ambition in supporting us at ZHA Architects and the DDP project — a design that was unfamiliar and perhaps a little alien, an extraordinary challenge for the city. As we are all aware, DDP was conceived to commemorate Seoul as the World Design Capital in 2010 — 14 years passed — and today we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the building’s opening. We’d also like to offer thanks to the competition jury for their courage and resolve throughout the process, for selecting the design of the metonymic landscape, and to all of our partners and consultants in London and Seoul, including SAMOO Architects and Engineers, ZHA, as well as all of the dedicated construction teams whose efforts played a critical role in delivering the project.Role of Design: Assist Co-existence of People / Environment / Technology
I am Choi So-hyun, and I am in charge of design and marketing, and space and architecture at Naver. After hearing the presentation of the two previous speakers, Thomas Heatherwick and Shigeru Ban, I could also feel the excitement and tremor as a designer. I would like to talk about the theme of ‘Design that aids in coexistence of people, environment and technology’. I am confident that instead of being fearful of technology we can use technology to resolve the issues that we are facing and design can also play a critical role in a rapidly changing society. I hope you will think about what sort of work you do and the perspective you have as you sit here. You are here as urban planners but you are also probably here as residents of the city. Why don’t we think about how you want to live? I think you may find different answers depending on the individual contexts. Let me continue my talk with these questions in mind. Now, I will introduce you to various spaces of Naver. I hope that these various spaces of Naver will be a clue or a solution when you are looking for your own answers in your respective places.[Special Interview] Chris van Duijn
1. What do you think is the ideal urban space in Seoul and why? What’s interesting about Seoul is its diversity and variety, which makes the city truly unique. One notable feature is its proximity to the mountains. On the slopes of the mountains, you’ll find villages with a unique, fine-grained scale and rich texture where people live, work, and dine.
SDIF 2025 Theme Video Full Version
Seoul Design International Forum 2025 – Full version of the theme video. Seoul Design International Forum is a global platform to share the power of design that transforms cities and lives. Your interest and participation are the driving force that leads Seoul to become an even more attractive global design city. In the upcoming SDIF 2026, we will continue the in-depth discussions on sustainability, creative collaboration, and the quality of life.
SDIF 2025 Theme Video Short Version
Seoul Design International Forum 2025 – Short version of the theme video. Seoul Design International Forum is a global platform to share the power of design that transforms cities and lives. Your interest and participation are the driving force that leads Seoul to become an even more attractive global design city. In the upcoming SDIF 2026, we will continue the in-depth discussions on sustainability, creative collaboration, and the quality of life.