Emeritus Professor Kyung-won Chung from the Department of Industrial Design here at KAIST received the top award at the 2015 DMI (Design Management Institute) Design Value Awards during the 40th Anniversary Gala last month in Boston, United States.

Founded in 1975, the non-profit organization DMI has been dedicated to connecting design to various aspects of business and culture and changing the world. DMI specializes in design management, a business discipline that encompasses project management, design strategies, and supply chain techniques that help foster creativity and innovation in the process of designing products and services.

In commemoration of its 40th anniversary, the Design Management Institute established the award to celebrate and praise the individual and collaborative achievements in the field of design and design management. The DMI panel of judges, composed of four design management experts from the UK, US, and Germany, awarded Professor Chung the top award in recognition of his success in helping the KAIST Industrial Design Department grow into one of the top 30 design management institutions in the world and his contribution to global design value. He was also given tenure as an honorary fellow by the DMI board committee.

Professor Chung said, “I am delighted to receive what is like the Academy awards in the field of design management. Hopefully this [my receiving the award] will raise the global recognition of Korea’s design industry.”

During his time at KAIST, Professor Chung published 14 distinguished papers in the Design Management Journal and Design Management Review, and had his research published through the Harvard Business School Press, contributing to the development of design management theory and practices.

His achievements were not limited to academia. He also served as the head of the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, the Chief Design Officer of Seoul Design Headquarters, and an advisor for design at Samsung Electronics, while teaching as a professor at KAIST.