Lee Young-hye, head of publishing company Design House, was appointed as director of 2013 Gwangju Design Biennale on Wednesday.

Lee started her career as a reporter at monthly magazine Design and later became the publisher. Leading one of the biggest art and lifestyle magazine publishing companies, Design House, Lee published many art and lifestyle magazines including “My Wedding,” “Enfant” and “Luxury.” The company also runs “Seoul Living Design Fair” which has been held every spring since 2002. 

Gwangju Design Biennale said that Lee’s appointment would not only shed light on the importance of public design but also bring synergy to the nation’s design industry.

“We chose Lee because we hope that starting with the 5th edition, Gwangju Design Biennale would focus on the design industry of Korea and Gwangju. The 2012 Design Biennale will be a chance to ponder on the relationship between design and industry,” said Lee Yong-woo, head of the Gwangju Design Biennale Foundation.

He added that next year’s design biennale will exhibit many industry-related designs and that there will be changes to the overall exhibition format.

The 5th Gwangju Design Biennale will be held from Sept. 6-10 at Gwangju Metropolitan City.

By Park Min-young (claire@heraldcorp.com)