At first sight, this phenomenon may come as a surprise to Western travellers unfamiliar with Asian trends. From Bangkok to Singapore, from Hanoi to Manila, the younger generation only has eyes for K-pop or K-sitcoms. By "K", we mean anything that originates in Korea. A veritable invasion that permeates all areas of daily life, from clothing to cosmetics, from food to high-tech. Today, a good third of the Asian planet dreams of being "Korean", after having long been captivated by Japan, once the embodiment of success and creativity.
How can such a phenomenon be explained? For years, all we knew about Korea was its unattractive side: the gigantic chaebols - the conglomerates of companies like Samsung, LG and Hyundai that dominate the country's economic life; a passion for work, a little suspect for the French, but so devouring among Koreans that it even prevents them from taking holidays! -Finally, there is the friction with the other Korea, the North, which is both intriguing and pathetic, with its leader always raising the nuclear threat, or even the threat of famine...
As for Seoul, until now the Korean capital has had the image of a grey, sprawling, chaotic city. A metropolis ravaged by the Korean War, disrupted by disorderly growth due to the five-fold increase in its population, from two million in 1980 to ten million today.
Radical metamorphosis
The city's reconstruction after 1953 was based on massive industrialisation and its sad legacy of disastrous urban planning, urban pollution and environmental destruction. "It's true that Seoul was anything but a glamorous city just fifteen years ago. Its renaissance is spectacular", Maureen O'Crowley readily admits. Vice-president of the Korean capital's Convention Bureau, this American spent her childhood there and has lived through all the city's transformations.
And what transformations! There doesn't seem to be much left of the Seoul of the 80s. And that's just as well for visitors, who will be surprised by the sight of wide tree-lined avenues, gleaming buildings and abundant green spaces. Above all, as they stroll through the heart of the city, they will discover that chic is in with the times and that kitsch can even flirt with the surreal. Like the air from La Norma, whose notes emanate from two luminous fountains in front of the new COEX conference centre, delighting passers-by.
In the pedestrianised district of Insadong, art galleries display the latest creations by young local designers. The funniest objects sit side by side with clothes of pure lines. At the foot of Gwanghwamun metro station, in the heart of the city, Alleh Square, the showroom of telephone operator K T, also sets a new tone. Businessmen, students and office workers meet here every late afternoon. The space serves as an internet café and also houses an auditorium, where jazz musicians perform every evening. On the lawn in front of the town hall, people picnic, chat... and also set up picket lines with sit-ins lasting several days. All signs of a city that finally seems to have found its feet, its identity.
A metropolis with a human face
The main architect of this profound change is certainly Lee Myung-bak. At one time the youngest CEO of the multinational Hyundai, he was mayor of Seoul between 2002 and 2006. His clear idea was to radically transform this megalopolis and give it back a human face. He and his successor, Oh Se-hoon, successfully pursued this goal. Green city, ecological city, city at the service of its citizens and finally design city, Seoul's renaissance has been a reality for a good decade. This is because political circles have sensed civil society's desire for a better way of life. The apology for GDP growth has been replaced by a need to finally enjoy all the benefits generated by almost uninterrupted economic prosperity since the 1970s.
It all began with a symbolic decision - some would have considered it insane - to demolish the lanes of an elevated motorway. Since the 1960s, the sound of the uninterrupted flow of cars had replaced the murmur of the Cheonggyecheon River. At a cost of nearly a billion dollars, the riverbed has been resurfaced, the water purified and its banks converted into green spaces.
Today, the people of Seoul stroll along 8.5 km of promenade with bird sanctuaries, waterfalls, exhibitions on the quays and, every evening, sound and light shows. Initially greeted with scepticism, the rehabilitation of the Cheonggyecheon has been acclaimed by the public. It has reinforced an ecological trend that is now well established in Seoul.
? Especially as the results of this policy have been convincing. The temperature has fallen by an average of two degrees in the city centre, thanks in particular to the reduction in the number of cars on the streets.
Design promotion
This success has reinforced the mayor's 'art of living' credo, enabling him to give a boost to the renovation of the city, which has been voted World Design Capital 2010 by UNESCO. "It's a real achievement. Back in the late 1960s, the government set up a design promotion centre to improve the quality of life and enhance the functionality of our industrial products. Seoul picked up the idea of supporting this field at just the right time, when the national government's interest was waning. Seoul's designation as world design capital enabled it to move up a gear", says Ken Nah, professor of design management at Hongik University and former head of "Seoul, World Design Capital 2010".
From industrial design, Korea has mobilised its strengths to create a design that is part of everyday life. "We have in fact moved on from the concept of "design as packaging", which served only to highlight industrial products, to that of a design conceived above all to promote the well-being of citizens. This is the goal pursued by our foundation and the Korean Design Centre. Of course, this awareness came to a head in 2010," explains Paul Kang, Director of the Seoul Design Foundation.
Jean Nouvel and JCDecaux
For the Korean capital, it was a fantastic opportunity to shine the spotlight on a global scale, with projects in every district, conferences and also... contracts on world markets. "For the government, the aim was to push Made in Korea upmarket through design. Urban planning, luxury goods, fashion... the Koreans were active in all these fields. French companies have also benefited," explains Cyril Pillard, head of infrastructure and transport for UbiFrance in Seoul. JC Decaux, for example, won a contract for bus shelters and Jean Nouvel was a finalist in the 2004 competition for one of the buildings at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art.
"We have some great Franco-Korean success stories. Like these French people working in architecture and fashion", adds Cyril Pillard. These include Christian Barde, who has been in Seoul since 1995 and is co-founder of Parafe, a design and architecture firm; David Pierre Jalicon, head of D.P.J. & Partners, who is also President of the Franco-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Paul Mathieu, formerly of Ubi France, also set up his own business with PBM, an interior design studio that has also worked on projects of a different kind, including a line of leather goods for Louis Quatorze, a Korean designer as his name suggests!
"There are almost 35,000 people who are more or less closely involved in these activities, including 15,000 architects and 25,000 design students leaving school every year. We've seen a real awakening in the population, but also in the SMEs that benefit from the support of the municipality", Ken Nah continues. He adds: "Design is really about our ability to improve our lives and make the things in our daily lives that aren't necessarily pleasant more enjoyable. What has really changed is that design also allows us to visualise the invisible.
In the metro, for example, these large, ultra-flat screens provide a wealth of information, complete with Google satellite map and list of addresses. Or all the taxis in Seoul equipped with GPS. Or electricity bills that change colour to indicate over-consumption. It's clear from the design that the Koreans are keen innovators and aren't afraid to take risks. An advantage that should appeal to French SMEs: "Seoul is an ideal city to try your hand in North-East Asia. It's even bolder than Japan and more flexible than China," says Édouard Champrenault, Director of the Franco-Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry. An almost perfect equation...
