On 27 March 2026, an official Signing Ceremony was held in Busan, Republic of Korea, to mark the designation of Busan as World Design Capital® (WDC) 2028. The ceremony took place at Nurimaru APEC House.

Hosted in partnership with the World Design Organization (WDO), the event brought together stakeholders from government, industry, academia, and civil society. A joint declaration was signed, marking the official launch of a design-led programme toward 2028.

Distinguished guests included H.E. Heong-joon Park, Mayor of Busan Metropolitan City, as well as members of the WDC Busan 2028 Organizing Committee and the WDO Board of Directors.

Representing JDP, a member organization of the WDO, Director Makiko Tsumura attended the ceremony. She also serves as President-Elect of WDO.

JDP will continue to follow developments and explore opportunities for international collaboration.

About World Design Organization

World Design Organization (WDO)^® is an international non-governmental organization and the international voice for industrial design. Serving over 200 member organizations across the globe, WDO promotes and shares knowledge of industrial design-driven innovation that enhances the economic, social, cultural and environmental quality of life. WDO.org

About World Design Capital

Designated every two years by the World Design Organization (WDO)^®, World Design Capital® (WDC) recognizes cities for their effective use of design to drive economic, social, cultural, and environmental development. Through a year-long programme of events, the designated city showcases best practices in sustainable design-led urban policy and innovation that have reinvented their city and improved quality of life. Previous WDCs include Torino (Italy) in 2008, followed by Seoul (Republic of Korea) in 2010, Helsinki (Finland) in 2012, Cape Town (South Africa) in 2014, Taipei (Taiwan, Chinese Taipei) in 2016, Mexico City (Mexico) in 2018, Lille Metropole (France) in 2020, Valencia (Spain) in 2022 and the cities of San Diego (USA) and Tijuana (Mexico) in 2024. The region of Frankfurt RheinMain (Germany) holds the title in 2026, followed by Busan Metropolitan City (Republic of Korea) in 2028. The call for bids for the 2030 designation will be launched in September 2026 at WDO.org/wdc.