Seoul Hosts World Design Cities Summit, February 23-24

SEOUL, South Korea, February 22, 2010 - The World Design Cities Summit will be held on February 23-24 in Seoul.
Mayors, deputy mayors and other leading officials from 32 cities around the
world will gather at the international conference to discuss design as the
key to city competitiveness in the 21st century. This summit marks the first
official international event held in Seoul since the city was selected as the
World Design Capital 2010 by the International Council of Societies of
Industrial Design. Every two years the status of WDC is conferred on a city
that can successfully put a design vision into practice to improve the
quality of citizens' lives and develop the city's economy and culture through
the use of design.

Under the theme of "A City Makes a Leap Forward with Design," the Seoul
Summit, hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, will serve as a venue to
discuss measures to develop and improve cities through design. Participating
cities with mayors attending include Torino, Italy, which served as the pilot
city for the World Design Capital in 2008, and Helsinki, Finland, which
serves as the next World Design Capital for 2012.

The two-day Summit kicks off with a keynote speech by Matthias Horx, a
European futurist who will address how design changes a city and its future.
Under the theme of "The Vision of World Design Cities," the first plenary
session will examine how to share the precedent case, the current plan and
the future vision of the selected cities.

Also on the second day there will be a special session where
world-renowned scholars and experts speak on design and the future of a city,
followed by a tour to the Seoul Design Assets Exhibition at the Seoul Museum
of History, as well as to Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Gwanghwamun Square and
Cheonggyecheon, a stream running through the heart of downtown.

"The ultimate value of design is to improve the quality of human life
while building a harmonious world based on open communication," said Oh
Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul. "Under its vision of 'Design for All,' the Seoul
Metropolitan Government will endeavor to transform Seoul into a place where
all citizens can pursue happiness," Mayor Oh added.

    Contact:

     Seoul Metropolitan Government
     Tel: +82-2-3707-8768
     press@seoul.go.kr

Seoul Metropolitan Government, +82-2-3707-8768, press at seoul.go.kr