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| Southeast Asian goods are showcased at Asia Design Material Exhibition, an online campaign from Nov. 19 to Dec. 18 to raise awareness toward ASEAN design trends. / Courtesy of ASEAN-Korea Centre |
By Yi Whan-woo
A selection of goods from ASEAN countries with notable designs are being showcased at an online exhibition organized by the ASEAN-Korea Centre.
Tasked with ASEAN cooperation, the Seoul-based center said last week it is running the Asia Design Material Exhibition in cooperation with the Korea Institute of Design Promotion (KIDP) until Dec. 18.
The exhibition, which began on Nov. 19, is part of the 2020 edition of the Design Korea Festival aimed at exploring global design trends and sharing business opportunities.
The goods featured at the exhibition range from crystal-made handcrafts to fashion items and industrial goods.
The month-long event also features materials that are used for design, such as silk, rattan, recyclable rubber and rice husk.
The outstanding designs will be considered potential recipients of the ASEAN-Korea Excellent Design Award slated for Nov. 24.
"The ASEAN region is increasingly committed to developing its design industry, recognizing the innovative and creative nature of the sector," ASEAN-Korea Centre Secretary-General Lee Hyuk said.
He noted many of the 10 ASEAN member nations have organizations dedicated to design and are fostering their design industries as a future growth engine.
Joining from Indonesia, Budiman Ong of design company Ong Cen Kuang expressed hope the exhibition will help raising awareness toward the country's design competiveness.
"Trends in Indonesia are very much mirroring global trends," Ong said. "As the market develops and a new generation is appreciating high-quality design products, I am sure that the Indonesian design industry has brighter prospects."
The center separately invited 60 game companies from Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to G-STAR 2020 last week.
Being Korea's largest game exhibition, G-STAR was held online this year. Its business-to-business meetings helped Korean and global companies build new partnerships and discuss areas of cooperation.
Secretary-General Lee noted the game industry showed a 9.3 percent year-on-year growth in 2020 because of social distancing measures amid the COVID-19 crisis and a tendency for people to spend more time with online content at home.
"The ASEAN region, with its young population and high penetration of smartphones, witnessed continuous growth in the game sector even before the pandemic," Lee said. "As more people stayed home due to social distancing measures, the region's game market has shown even greater growth this year."
The center has invited ASEAN companies to the exhibition every year since 2014.
In 2019, game developers LYTO of Indonesia and Onface Games of Korea signed a sales contract.
