This September, Design Miami launches its first multi-day event under the new Design Miami.In Situ initiative with a landmark exhibition co-created with the Seoul Design Foundation.
From September 2-14 (preview September 1st), 2025, the exhibition transforms Seoul’s iconic Dongdaemun Design Plaza into a global design stage, coinciding with Frieze Seoul and Kiaf.

Discover the Design Miami universe

Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul

The exhibition, Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design, unveils over 170 works of Korean design, marking the city’s first major international collectible design event. Curated by Korean design authority Hyeyoung Cho, the show takes its title from the Korean word “조명 (jo-myeong),” meaning “to illuminate.” The exhibition embodies the design Seoul’s soul, by celebrating Korea’s rich design heritage and showcasing innovators who redefined the field – from traditional craftsmanship to pioneering design visions – while inspiring future generations.

As a UNESCO City of Design, Seoul stands at the intersection of heritage and innovation. Zaha Hadid’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza offers an architectural icon for this inaugural In Situ program. Complementing the exhibition, visitors can also join the new Design Talks program.

Design Miami.In Situ Seoul: highlights

Korean design flourishes in the coexistence of tradition and modernity, rooted in Confucian respect for intergenerational knowledge. This duality anchors “Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design”.

• Dahyeon Yoo (Seoul) reinvents Joseon-era straw craft by applying the technique to leather in her Harmony series (2023-2025). Her woven leather cases emphasize balance and symmetry as symbols of inner harmony.
• Gallery LVS & Craft (Seoul) presents ceramicist Dongjun Kim, who continues the legacy of Joseon white porcelain. Using wood-fired kilns instead of modern gas or electric methods, Kim creates vessels like Moon Jar (2024), defined by its simplicity and textured irregularities.
• Friedman Benda (New York/Los Angeles) honors Byung Hoon Choi, a seminal figure in Korean design. Choi, founder of The Society for the Creation of Decorative and Applied Arts in 1977, merges traditional materials – wood, clay, granite – with contemporary sculptural forms. His works “afterimage of beginning 021-577 (2021) and 018-499 (2018)” embody the balance of natural and human-made.

Discover Design Miami 2024

Gallery LVS & Craft at Illuminated, Design Miami.In Situ, Seoul 2025. Photo Courtesy Gallery LVS & Craft

Through these artists, Design Miami Seoul emerges as a platform where legacy informs innovation.

From local to global

Curator Hyeyoung Cho champions collaboration, highlighting how Korean designers adapt to global trends while preserving cultural identity.

• Objects With Narratives (Brussels/Geneva) fosters cross-cultural dialogue by presenting designers such as Hakmin Lee, Rahee Yoon, Sukkeun Kang, and Junsu Kim. Lee’s Paw Bench transforms toy-like imagery into functional sculpture, while Kang’s Just After Sunset S1-1 captures fleeting natural moments in lacquered wood and iron.
• Marta (Los Angeles) showcases Minjae Kim’s retreat-inspired furnishings, including Daybed With Pillow, Ruffled Chair, and Lamp With Roof, merging Western typologies with Korean traditions.
• Salon 94 Design (New York) introduces Sally J. Han x Locatelli Partners, Jay Sae Jung Oh, Jaiik Lee, and Kwangho Lee. Oh’s Salvage series repurposes household objects into sculptural statements on abundance and waste, while Lee presents his Copper Enamel Chair (2022), defined by irregular form and patina.
• SIDE Gallery (Barcelona) presents Gyuhan Lee, Donghoon Sohn, Hyeokjin Lee, and Jinyeong Yeon. Gyuhan Lee weaves discarded packaging into functional furniture, while Hyeokjin Lee’s Invisible Chair series questions presence and absence through fence structures.
• Carpenter’s Workshop Gallery (New York/London/Paris/Los Angeles) brings Paris-based Korean designer Wonmin Park, presenting works from his Stone & Steel series, juxtaposing volcanic rock and industrial steel.
• Charles Burnand Gallery (London) highlights six Korean voices including Mia Jung, Myungtaek Jung, Heechan Kim, and Kyeok Kim. Kim debuts her Second Surface Chandelier 02, crafted with ottchil lacquer, copper wire, and wood, extending centuries-old craft into contemporary sculptural form.

These international presentations reinforce design in Seoul as a bridge between local tradition and global design culture.

Paw Bench, 2022 by Hakmin Lee for Objects with Narratives at Illuminated, Design Miami.In Situ, Seoul 2025. Photo courtesy Objects with Narratives

Craft and Materiality

Craft mastery remains a cornerstone of Korean design, celebrating slow processes in a fast-paced world.

• J. Lohmann Gallery (New York) features Jongjin Park, who layers up to 1,000 porcelain-painted paper sheets into millefeuille vessels with vivid textures.
• SOLUNA Fine Craft (Seoul) presents Dayhe Jeong’s intricate horsehair works, rooted in traditional millinery weaves, such as “A Time of Serenity” (2025).
• Gallery SKLO (Seoul), the city’s only gallery dedicated to contemporary glass, presents pioneering artists like Kira Kim, Joonyong Kim, Jiyong Lee, and Sunghoon Park, each pushing glass as a sculptural medium capturing light and nature.

Yellowish Deep Gray Night, 2024 by Joonyong Kim for Gallery Sklo at Illuminated, Design Miami.In Situ, Seoul 2025. Photo courtesy Gallery Sklo

Preservation and the natural world

Korean design also embraces sustainability and respect for resources.

• Kyounghee Kim (Seoul) creates delicate bojagi patchworks from silk organza, continuing a tradition of sustainable textile reuse.
• Minwook Kim (Busan) crafts vessels that follow the natural grain, cracks, and knots of wood, allowing the material to dictate form.
• FABRIKR (Seoul) expands its upcycling practice with original epoxy resin works like the “Sparrow Chair and Nest Table”.
• Jungin Lee, presented by Charles Burnand Gallery, adapts traditional ‘hanji’ paper techniques into sculptural chairs that merge sustainable tradition with contemporary form.

Together, these works affirm Seoul as a hub where preservation, craft, and innovation intersect.

Why visit?

• Experience Design Miami’s first-ever Seoul edition
• See Illuminated: A Spotlight on Korean Design with 170+ works
• Discover how design in Seoul blends tradition with innovation
• Explore Korean craft legacies – ceramics, textiles, glass, and more
• Encounter global galleries alongside Seoul’s design pioneers
• Visit Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Zaha Hadid’s architectural icon
• Join Design Talks 
• Celebrate Seoul as a UNESCO City of Design 
• Connect with the global art scene during Frieze Seoul & Kiaf 
• Witness Seoul shine as a new hub for collectible design

Design Miami.In Situ Seoul, September, 1-14, 2025

For professional and general public
Attendance is complimentary upon registration
Size: over 30 galleries, over 170 Korean design works
Visit Designmiami.com website for more info