About

Ken Nah, an expert in Design Management and Engineering Design with Human Factors, is Busan City’s Master Designer. He holds advisory roles across Korea’s design sectors and judges top international awards like the Red Dot and Dyson Awards.

Present occupation and affiliations

Master Designer, City of Busan (Republic of Korea)

Ken Nah is Busan City’s Master Designer and Vice President of KFDA, the federation of design associations. He is also a chair professor at Dongseo University and City University of Macau. His work bridges academia, industry, and government, advancing Korean design globally.

Previous Board experience

2023-2025 WDO Board Member

My first experience with WDO (then ICSID) was at 2007 General Assembly in San Francisco, where the host city for ‘WDC 2010’ was announced. I was one of Seoul delegates. In 2009, I was appointed as the Director General for ’WDC Seoul 2010’ – an honor that came with a deep sense of responsibility. From that point until the closing ceremony at 00:30 on 1 January 2011 (the ceremony literally had lasted for 2 years), I had worked very closely with WDO leadership and the secretariat. It was a wonderful experience to me.

WDO Member engagement

My involvement with the WDO has been extensive, encompassing both participation and leadership roles. I attended General Assemblies in San Francisco (2007), Singapore (2009), Gwangju (2015), and Tokyo (2023). As the Director General, I also led all WDO activities for ‘WDC Seoul 2010.’ As a WDO board member for the past two years, I have actively contributed to World Industrial Designer’s Day events (2023 in Japan and Korea, 2025 in Korea and Shanghai, China), ‘Design Week’ events of various cities and ‘WDC San Diego & Tijuana 2024,’ alongside lectures and panel discussions for/about WDO and regular board meetings.