[Design Forum] Global becomes Korean: Seoul Design Foundation CEO welcomes Design Miami
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It is often said that what is uniquely Korean can be the most global. But Cha Kang-heui, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, sees it differently: "I think it should be the other way: What is global must become what is Korean."
"Seoul is an international city. We must use it to demonstrate that Korean design can compete globally. We need to scale up our industry, bolster competitiveness and create more opportunities for young entrepreneurs. I also want small and mid-sized design firms to gain greater access to partnerships with international institutions."
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It is often said that what is uniquely Korean can be the most global. But Cha Kang-heui, CEO of the Seoul Design Foundation, sees it differently: “I think it should be the other way: What is global must become what is Korean.”
It is with this conviction that Cha has brought Design Miami — one of the world’s premier design fairs — to Seoul for its first Asian edition, in partnership with the Herald Design Forum 2025.
“Seoul is an international city. We must use it to demonstrate that Korean design can compete globally. We need to scale up our industry, bolster competitiveness and create more opportunities for young entrepreneurs. I also want small and mid-sized design firms to gain greater access to partnerships with international institutions.”
Cha met with Design Miami executives during Milan Design Week in April and proposed holding a joint event in Seoul.
“I thought it would be an opportunity for promising young Korean designers to share the stage with world-renowned artists and to shine a global spotlight on Korean design.”
The timing was fortuitous. Design Miami, launched in the United States in 2005, had already expanded into Europe and was eyeing Asia. Seoul emerged as the perfect partner.
Cha insisted that the inaugural Asian edition be held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza, coinciding with Seoul Art Week in September, when Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul attract the international art world to the city.
DDP itself helped forge the connection. The iconic building was designed by the late Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize. She was also named Design Miami’s inaugural Designer of the Year in 2005. DDP thus stands as both a local landmark and a bridge linking Seoul and Design Miami.
“I would like to say hosting Design Miami at DDP is a symbolic moment that shows Seoul has become a center of the global design industry.”
One of Cha’s key goals is to foster mutual growth between DDP and Dongdaemun — the plaza's surrounding district, long recognized as Korea’s fashion hub. Cha hopes that "Design Miami.In Situ Seoul" will strengthen this synergy, turning DDP and Dongdaemun into a shared ecosystem of creativity and design commerce.
“The rise of global interest in Seoul’s design ecosystem owes much to the influence of K-culture. I hope with Design Miami. In Situ Seoul and the Herald Design Forum, DDP becomes a new symbol of that influence.”
Cha believes the foundation’s mission lies in cultivating designers. By bringing global events to Seoul, he hopes to give emerging talents the stage and networks they need.
“Everyone recognizes the importance of investing in design. Yet when it comes to supporting designers, resources remain scarce. Korea has yet to produce a designer who can represent the country on the global stage. Just as Park Seri inspired a generation of golfers and Kim Yuna a wave of young figure skaters, we need a star designer who can lead a new generation.”
"Design Miami.In Situ Seoul" will open its 14-day run at DDP on Tuesday.
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