Industrial Design and Packaging Promotion Act.
The Industrial Design and Packaging Promotion Act (No. 4321) was the new title given to the Design and Packaging Promotion Act (No. 3070), which was enacted in 1977, when it was amended in its entirety in 1991. When first enacted in 1977, the purpose of the Design and Packaging Promotion Act was to contribute to economic development and export expansion through research, improvement, and promotion of design and packaging. Revised to the Industrial Design and Packaging Promotion Act, its purpose was shifted to the increase in trade and national economic development through the promotion of research and development of industrial design and packaging and the strengthening of industrial competitiveness. According to the revised law, the Korea Design and Packaging Center (KDPC) established in 1970 was renamed the Korea Institute of Industrial Design & Packaging in 1991. The Industrial Design and Packaging Promotion Act was completely amended again in December 1996 and renamed the Industrial Design Promotion Act (No. 5214), which still continues in effect.
Korea Design and Packaging Center
The Korea Design and Packaging Center (KDPC) is a design promotion institution established in May 1970 by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Since its establishment, it has changed its name several times and continues to exist in its current form as the Korea Institute of Design Promotion. In April 1970, under the direction of the Minister Lee Naksun, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry quickly merged three organizations related to packaging and design, which were the Korea Packaging Technology Association, the Korea Export Design Center, and the Korea Export Goods Packaging Center within a month and formed the Korea Design and Packaging Center (KDPC). At the time of its foundation, the KDPC was located at 128, Yeongeon-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the Korea Export Design Center was located. Its purpose was to “contribute to the increase of exports and national economic development by improving design and packaging technology, supplying outstanding export packaging materials at low prices, and conducting projects for research and development.” The Minister Lee Laksun served as its first chairman. Since November of the year of its establishment, the KDPC has published the bulletin Dijain Pojang (Design and Packaging). In 1971, it began to organize the Korea Commerce and Industry Art Exhibition (present-day Korea International Design Award), which was previously hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 1972, it joined the International Council of Graphic Design Association (ICOGRADA). In addition, the KDPC engaged in various activities, such as research and development of design and packaging technology, establishment of design-related systems, exchanges with international organizations, the holding of exhibitions, and the publication of books and periodicals. For example, it implemented the system of selecting excellent design products in 1985 and produced official posters for the Asian Games in the same year. In 1991, it was renamed the Korea Institute of Industrial Design and Packaging Development and then the Korea Institute of Industrial Design Promotion in 1997. After being renamed the Korea Institute of Design Promotion in 2001, it was relocated to the Korea Design Center in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do Province.