By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
The first World Design Olympiad Seoul 2008 will take place in and around Jamsil Olympic Stadium from Oct. 10-30.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said Thursday that the event will serve as an opportunity to upgrade the quality of residents' life as well as the city's appearance
``We've established a vision to promote the brand image of Seoul and to revitalize the city's economy through design,'' Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said during a news conference at City Hall. ``At the center of the design project is the World Design Olympiad Seoul 2008.''
The mayor has emphasized the importance of city design since his inauguration.
Oh's efforts have been recognized internationally and one of his achievements is the International Design Alliance's decision to declare the city the World Design Capital (WDC) last year.
The Olympiad was launched as part of events to celebrate the designation, but the city government will host the event every year as an ongoing effort to promote the city's brand image, Oh said.
For a successful launch, the city government named Kwon Eun-sook, professor of the Architecture College of Houston University, as general director of the event. The mayor said that they highly valued Kwon's experience, networks and influence in the field.
``To be honest, the city's brand image and influence in the design sector is still weak internationally,'' Kwon said. ``But the designers' world recognizes the city's potential and admires efforts by the city to change its image through design.''
The event will bring together world-renowned designers from various fields and offer a high quality academic and industrial gathering, while serving as a festival of design for residents and international guests, she added.
The main events of the Olympiad include design conferences, exhibitions, festivals and competitions, and a lighting festival costing 15 billion won.
The city government expects that about 2 million residents will join the event as well as world-renowned designers, representatives from international design communities and the academic world.