As a growing design city, Seoul is shining once again in the global art and design world. From September 1–14, 2025, the city hosted its first-ever Design Miami / Seoul exhibition at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP).
The fair, titled “Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design”, shows off 170 works by 71 Korean artists—traditional craftsmanship (수공예) meets cutting-edge materials like wood, metal, horsehair, and ceramics.
The Dongdaemun Design Park (DDP) opened to the public for the first time yesterday. Admission to most exhibitions is free right now but will change to 8,000Won at the end of March. The spaceship-like structure was built for $451mil, was design by renowned architect Zaha Hadid, and was funded by the Seoul city government. The 85,000 sq. meter structure, located in Jongno Seoul, is home to an art hall, museums, a design lab, and a multipurpose culture center. While the area remains largely open until 5AM with it’s boutique shopping, nightlife, and street food, the DDP will remain open 24 hours. Official site.
동대문 – dong-dae-mun – East Large Gate
