The LP website might list as the third most hated city on the planet, but at least the NYT loves us:
Forget Tokyo. Design aficionados are now heading to Seoul.
They have been drawn by the Korean capital’s glammed-up cafes and restaurants, immaculate art galleries and monumental fashion palaces like the sprawling outpost of Milan’s 10 Corso Como and the widely noted Ann Demeulemeester store — an avant-garde Chia Pet covered in vegetation.
And now Seoul, under its design-obsessed mayor, Oh Se-hoon, is the 2010 World Design Capital. The title, bestowed by a prominent council of industrial designers, means a year’s worth of design parties, exhibitions, conferences and other revelries. Most are still being planned (go to wdc2010.seoul.go.kr for updates). A highlight will no doubt be the third annual Seoul Design Fair (Sept. 17 to Oct. 7), the city’s answer to the design weeks in Milan and New York, which last year drew 2.5 million people and featured a cavalcade of events under two enormous inflatable structures set up at the city’s Olympic stadium.
Of course, I remember when the NYT put Detroit on its list of places to go in 2008, so I guess we can’t get too excited.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve thought Seoul was a great city from the beginning, before all of this design stuff that I haven’t yet tried to understand. And as far as a place to visit, most of my visitors (~15 to date) didn’t want to leave. And the chia-pet building had nothing to do with that.
That’s a classic piece of researched-entirely-from-the-press-release journalism right there.
Good to see that the NYT has more of a clue than LP, at least. But they still don’ geddit — Seoul is cool, but not the best place to go in Korea. Jiri-san, far far better! Gyeongju, just as good. and then there’s Seorak, Sogni, Ma-i, Palgong and a dozen other dash-san’s that are so amazingly worthwhile…
The LP was more accurate and truthful about Seoul but they don’t have to deal with a large Korean community and group of pro-Korea lobbyists like the NYT does.
The bottom line is all of these “lists” are flawed and a waste of time.
as much as i like Seoul i wouldn’t say that having a 10 Corso Como store is such a great sign of coolness, unless 600 euros vibrators are your thing
You must log in to post a comment.