▲ Design Park / Chairman Kim Yo-sup

(PowerKorea) In South Korea, the conception of wellbeing is shifting fast to communal from private. If the private has focused on personal health and living environment, the communal is focusing on overall welfare of the communities. For example, apartment blocks are the most common and preferred residential areas in South Korea; unlike in the past, newly built apartment blocks value highly of communal zones such as parks and gardens where residents can rest and children can play. 

Established in 2001, Design Park has only focused on these communal gardens and parks and has built strong presence in the field with its branded structures for parks or gardens: Uplay, Onethepool, Wellfit, Camp4r Rest and Vomuro. Uplay and Onethepool are rides for children, Wellfit is fitness equipment, Camp4r Rest is camping equipment and Vomuro is swings and benches. 

Kim Yo-sup, chairman of Design Park, was impressed by outdoor fitness equipment when he made a business trip to China in 2001. Back in Korea, he devoted a considerable amount of time and effort in development of Korean residential-friendly outdoor fitness equipment for 2 years. In 2003, he installed his developments at a fitness ground near Hongje Stream, Seodaemun District, Seoul and it sparked the boom of the industry in South Korea. Taking the momentum, Kim moved fast to supply his developments to parks and gardens nationwide. 

Wellfit in particular is his flagship brand that increased muscle power, agility, flexibility and coordinated movement. Uplay on the other hand is designed to create fairly land-like atmosphere and received explosive response from children and parents alike. In 2007, Kim applied water valley theme to Uplay and introduced Onethepool and it was welcomed for multipurpose use: a waterpark in summer and a waterway for the rest of the seasons. 

Kim also pays a greater attention to detail in health and hygiene. He installed eco-friendly sterilization and purification devices to deter proliferation of germs and bacteria in the water alongside an ozone sterilization device that removes various harmful substances such as pathogenic microorganism, colon bacillus and bad smells. 

As the summer in nigh in the year 2021, Design Park’s latest introduce ‘smart shade canopy’ is high in demand. Unlike the existing umbrella-type, smart shade canopy made it into wings. This highly adjustable shade canopy is installation-friendly whether the place is wide or narrow. The ABS plastic sheet increased safety, stability, durability and waterproof. The wings are automatically spread and folded according to weather conditions and temperatures. In addition, the canopy shows real time weather and fine dust conditions on the screen and the solar panel on top of the canopy self-generates electricity. 

Design Park’s another brainchild ‘thermo-bench’ also works automatically when the temperature goes down below 18 and keeps it between 28~40 for seaters to make their butt and body warm in cold weather. 

Those who are into camping will likely pay attention to Design Park’s Camp4r Rest lines: caravan, modern igloo and module swimming pool. The caravan is moored type, the igloo maximized insulation and noise-proof and the swimming pool is mobile-friendly. The swimming pool is installable in various sizes and comes with a water purification system. 

As of October 2019, Kim obtained 65 patents. In 2019, he received a presidential citation at the Small & Medium Business Convergence Festival followed by another presidential citation at the 2010 Korea Sports Industry Awards. Other prizes he received include the Seoul International Invention Fair and the Korea SME Conference.

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