Prof. Ryan Jongwoo Choi Professor at Hanyang University While working at a design studio in London or spending time with designers from global manufacturers, I often encountered questions about design. “What exactly is Korean design?” “Just as K-pop and K-dramas have distinct identities, is there a representative formal language or aesthetic that defines Korean industr...

  Sami Savatli Founder & Principal of SAVATLI Architects        “Founded in Istanbul in 2009, SAVATLI Architects is a multidisciplinary practice spanning interior architecture, furniture, and object design. With a strong focus on context, proportion, material, light, and craftsmanship, the studio creates contemporary environments that balance function, emotion, and artistic expres...

  Prof. Yonghyuck Lee Editor-in-Chief, the Asia Design Prize       One of the most notable changes in Japanese design in 2026 is the renewed importance of materials. Japanese design has long been recognized for restrained forms, high levels of refinement, and a close relationship with nature. More recently, this approach has moved one step further. Designers are paying greater attention ...

Yungil Choi, Senior Manager at HYUNDAI E&C Jury Member of the K-Design Award       Tucked away in the narrow alleys of Bukchon is a small space known as a sarangbang. It follows the familiar structure of a traditional hanok, with a wooden veranda extending toward a small garden. Yet when I sit quietly there, I feel a peculiar sense of comfort that I have not found anywhere else in Bukc...

  Sami Savatli Founder & Principal of SAVATLI Architects        “Founded in Istanbul in 2009, SAVATLI Architects is a multidisciplinary practice spanning interior architecture, furniture, and object design. With a strong focus on context, proportion, material, light, and craftsmanship, the studio creates contemporary environments that balance function, emotion, and artistic expres...

  Miki Orihara Chairperson, Japan Commercial Environment Design Association (JCD) / Jury Member, Asia Design Prize       “Miki Orihara is a Japanese interior designer and producer who developed her own approach to spatial design through field experience and independent study rather than formal design education. She established her own design office in 2011 and renamed the company ODO i...

  Antoine Besseyre des Horts Vice President of Design, Asia, LIXIL Global Design       “As Vice President of Design at LIXIL Global Design, Antoine Besseyre des Horts leads multicultural and multidisciplinary teams across regions, especially in Asia. His primary focus covers Asia Pacific and Greater China, while his work also connects Asian markets with other regions through the stewar...

Teruaki Ishimoto Founder / Principal Architect, CURIOUS DESIGN WORKERS Inc. “A storehouse more than a century old in Nagoya’s historic Shikemichi district has been reborn as a contemporary showroom that conveys the memory of place through light. In light wave, Teruaki Ishimoto of CURIOUS DESIGN WORKERS reinterprets the ripples of the Horikawa Canal as a continuous spatial mo...

Prof. Ryan Jongwoo Choi Professor at Hanyang University While working at a design studio in London or spending time with designers from global manufacturers, I often encountered questions about design. “What exactly is Korean design?” “Just as K-pop and K-dramas have distinct identities, is there a representative formal language or aesthetic that defines Korean industr...

  Prof. Yonghyuck Lee Editor-in-Chief, the Asia Design Prize       One of the most notable changes in Japanese design in 2026 is the renewed importance of materials. Japanese design has long been recognized for restrained forms, high levels of refinement, and a close relationship with nature. More recently, this approach has moved one step further. Designers are paying greater attention ...

Yungil Choi, Senior Manager at HYUNDAI E&C Jury Member of the K-Design Award       Tucked away in the narrow alleys of Bukchon is a small space known as a sarangbang. It follows the familiar structure of a traditional hanok, with a wooden veranda extending toward a small garden. Yet when I sit quietly there, I feel a peculiar sense of comfort that I have not found anywhere else in Bukc...

  Prof. Yonghyuck Lee Editor-in-Chief, the Asia Design Prize       We encounter an enormous amount of information every day. The climate crisis, food waste, causes of death, social conflict, and standardized ideas of beauty are not new issues to most of us. There is already no shortage of statistics and news reports about them. Yet getting people to understand these problems and take act...