Deputy Minister Hwang Gyu-yeon, Office of the Industrial Creativity and Innovation at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), and KIDP President Lee Tae-yong, and other dignitaries look at the designs on display at DK 2014 following an opening ceremony at the KINTEX in Goyang City, north of Seoul, on Nov. 6. (Photo:KDIP)

True to the theme “Design Creates the Creative Economy,” the DK 2014 that took place from Nov. 6 through 10 at the KINTEX in Goyang, north of Seoul, served as an opportunity to take an in-depth look at design trends in Korea and abroad. 

DK 2014 displayed some 2,000 pieces of design, including exhibits tracing Korea’s design history. Among the products with marvelous ideas and simple designs were a device made to prevent blinking in order to apply eye drops, which won the Red.dot Award of Germany and IDEA Award of the United States; an easy-to-handle crayon; and writing devices for people lacking grasping power. 

Lee Gwang-taek, the designer of the Eye Drop device, said, “I’ve devised it as a way of holding back the blinking eye and opening up the eyelid when eye drops are applied.”

“We’re ready to display 3D printers emerging as future design trend setters, IoT, wearables and other things that will give an insight into the future of design,” said Lee Tae-yong, president of Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP).

DK 2014 was formerly called Korea Design.

With the paradigm shifting to design businesses, foreign buyers’ participation and exhibitors have more than doubled from the previous year. The number of exhibitors increased from 71 in 2013 to 180 in 2014 — 162 Korean companies and 18 foreign concerns — while foreign buyers rose from 63 in 2013 to 150 in 2014.

DK 2014 coincided with the Korea-China Design Business Conference as part of efforts to expand its standing as an opportunity to expand in the global design business arena. 

The World Best Design Pavilion highlighted design award winners. There was also a pavilion in which children were given the chance to experience automobiles and virtual reality origami. 

Some 200 people from industry, academia and government circles participated in a ceremony to open DK 2014 at the first exhibition hall of KINTEX on Nov. 6. Among those on hand at the event were Deputy Minister Hwang Gyu-yeon, Office of the Industrial Creativity and Innovation at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), and KIDP President Lee. 

Prof. Kim Nam-hoon of Chosun University was honored with the presidential prize of the 2014 Korea Design Award for his contributions to the development of the Korean design industry.