The Influences of Japanese Design on Korea from the 1960s to the 1980s and the Tasks

Abstract

Background : This research examines the influences of Japanese design on Korea from the 1960s to the 1980s. It aims to study the reasons for the greater influence of Japanese design over any other overseas design, its background, the ways it was accepted and the reaction of the public, and also look into the relevant problems and tasks. Methods : The influences of Japanese design, which became a social issue, were analyzed by area through the case studies. The similarities with Japanese design were discovered around works introduced in past newspapers, exhibition catalogs, and other sources, and the following effect relationships were investigated. In addition, the domestic reaction and accepting attitudes regarding Japanese design were studied and the remaining legal and moral issues to be resolved in the future were considered. Results : Through this, it was identified that the influence of Japanese design on Korea was greater than on any other advanced countries, and the accepting attitudes were different according to the design type. Though the hostility toward ‘Japanese style (Japanese tradition)’ and ‘Japanese’ were high, the appropriation of technique was frequent and the practice of imitation was generously allowed in contemporary design, especially in the industrial design sector. Conclusion : The practice of copying Japanese design did not cause any legal problems but it morally lowered the creativity of Korean design and brought not the independent and new but the material oriented design works into vogue.