It was not until 2003 that Cho made it back to South Korea to set up his firm, Mass Studies, so some questioned if he was the best candidate to design South Korea's pavilion at the Shanghai Expo.

CNN: Minsuk Cho's dramatic architecture

An alternative design developed in South Korea, which clocks flight time rather than number of rotations, seems plagued by problems.

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And to cap it off, LG's OLED received Korea's Good Design President Award in October.

ENGADGET: LG 55-inch OLED TV available for pre-order in Korea this week, ready to ship next month

LG's OLED received Korea's Good Design President Award in October.

ENGADGET: LG's 55-inch OLED television starting at $12K, shipping in March

In its seventh rotation since 2009, government-sponsored Concept Korea has acted as a Korean design incubator of sorts, helping to propel its hand-selected designers to more prominent global standing, higher sales, and wider industry recognition.

FORBES: 'Concept Korea' Brings Top Korean Designers To New York Fashion Week

The coal was sent to potential customers in China and South Korea, to prove its quality and design the most efficient system.

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The city and Korea in general has a fascination with technology and design and is constantly positioning itself on the cutting edge of both.

CNN: Look into your Seoul for a hit of Korean flavor

She was born in Korea, and completed a degree at the Parsons School of Design, where she specialized in children's clothing.

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