[Opinion] Car License Plate

Most people know design is important. Slogans such as “Design changes the world,” or “One who conquers design conquers the world” are familiar. In other words, now the public has an eye for beauty. Overwhelming popularity of luxury goods brings criticism that style is outweighing substance. However, some designers see it differently. They say Koreans are beginning to develop an aesthetic sense to distinguish good from bad designs, which is necessary for the growth of the design industry.

For 20 percent of consumers, design counts most in choosing a new car while design makes up only a tiny percent of the new car development costs. This fact is often referred to emphasize the enormous value of design. Indeed, design development is more than urgent in Korea. China’s design industry is right behind us while advanced countries are far ahead of us. Only if Korea’s design can fascinate the world, then can we easily join the ranks of advanced countries.

Design improvement, however, is never easy. A country’s culture environment drives its design. Good design is easily created when younger generation can develop their artistic sense from early years. But Korean children have no time to develop the artistic sense due to tough competition for college entrance examination. That is exactly why Korea’s design is still limited to imitation despite its growth.

The new design of the license plate stirs controversy. People say it is ugly and outdated. Authorities belatedly acknowledged it and came up with another design. Government officials are expected to enlighten the public, which does not seem to be the case in Korea. Until the Chosun Dynasty, our design was famous for its sophistication and elegance worldwide. I recommend government officials to visit museums during leisure time. Then they will not, at least, be obstacles to the development of our unique design.

Editorial Writer Hong Chan-sik, chansik@donga.com