Home > Seoul Digital Forum 2008 > Forum > Program Overview

The black hole of imagination, an endless bounty of questions and answers for the dreamer who has the tenacity and determination to pursue his dream. Will evolution be overpowered by a revolutionary idea from such a pioneer who never ceases to follow his quest; another inventor to light up the minds and spark ideas into the hearts and souls of the mundane?

- What imaginative breakthroughs do we need in our T.I.M.E.(Technology, Information, Media & Entertainment) business?
- What inspiration will push the human race beyond earth into the stars? Can the arts, design and entertainment supply this inspiration?
- What thoughts and discussions must we provoke to move us into a livable and peaceful world?
- How can we end poverty, war, disease and environmental threats?
- How can new technology be leveraged to dramatically affect adverse consequences?

 Theme Imagination-Explore Time, Space and Beyond
 Date May 6-8, 2008
 Venue Sheraton Grande Walkerhill Hotel
 Process MAY 6 - Full day conference
MAY 7 - Full day conference
       (Annual Conference / Special Networking Evenet)
MAY 8 - Full day conference
 Participants Executives from leading global companies, opinion leaders,artists and policy makers
As the final frontier for the pace has always been in our imagination.
In April 2008, Korea will send its very first homegrown astronaut to the ISS (International Space Station),
joining the dream of humans living together in space, hopefully peacefully.

Opening Ceremony
-Short Film
- Opening Remarks
By Ha, Kumloul, Cheif Executive Secretary, Seoul Digital Forum / CEO, SBS
- Overture Speech - Imaginative Solution to Global Warming ¡°Blocking Sun with Orbiting Balloons¡±
By Park, Chul, Visiting Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, KAIST / Former Member of NASA Ames Research Center
- Also featuring brief remarks by Yi, Soyeon, First Korean Astronaut
Media Summit - Keynote Speech
Being at the helm of some of the world¡¯s most prominent media brands, including MTV Networks, CBS, BET, Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, Showtime and Simon & Schuster, among many others, Mr. Redstone will deliver his vision on the revolution taking place in the media industry as creative content and technology converge.

.Visionary
- Sumner Redstone, Chairman, Viacom, Inc. / Chairman, CBS Corporation

Luncheon
*Special Speech
.Visionary
- Choi, See Joong, Chairman of Korea Communications Commission
Media Summit - Unleashing Content
Traditional broadcasters have always been focused on distribution of audio and/or video programs to an audience. Gravitating to new devices with an always on Broadband connection, these new media consumers are embracing accessibility and control of content when and where they want it. How will broadcasters adjust to the needs of this new demanding audience?

Visionaries
- RegisTurrini, Senior Executive Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer, Vivendi
- Thomas Lesinski, President, Paramount Pictures Digital Entertainment
- Shintaro Kubo, President, Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV)
- David Eun, Vice President, Content Partnerships, Google

Symposiarch
- Judy Muller, Former ABC News Correspondent / Emmy Award-Winning Reporter

Communication        
The means of communication have developed at revolutionary speed, while the search continues for even better devices and technology. What is next?

. What is the next revenue model for the telecom industry? How can it remain strong and profitable? How can it outperform new competitors?
. How has technology led the evolution of language communication?
. How will the online communication network evolve and how will its business continue to thrive?
. What is next after Skype?
.What is the next generation mobile phone?

Visionaries
- Bernard Spitz, CEO, BSConseil
- Craig Walker, Senior Product Manager, Google Voice Products
- Michael Robertson, CEO, Gizmo5 / Founder, MP3.com
- Tim Draper, Founder & Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
- Kwon, Hee Min, Executive Vice President & Head of Digital Solution Center, Samsung Electronics

Symposiarch
- John Dvorak, Weekly Tech Columnist, Dow-Jones Marketwatch / Columnist, PC Magazine

Special Speech : The Philosophy of Creativity and Inventiveness for Super Imagination
Visionary
- Yoshiro NakaMats, International Creativity Scholar, Dr. NakaMats Innovation Institute
Biotechnology
A discussion on the development of medicine and related technologies: An in-depth look at what the medical-science community is doing to make the world a healthier place.

. When will we be free of epidemics and fatal diseases, such as cancer and AIDS?
. Can scientific imagination make the world a healthier place through the discovery of new medicines and technologies?

Visionaries
- Leroy Hood, President, Institute for Systems Biology
- Aubrey D.N.J. de Grey, Chairman and Chief Science Officer, Methuselah Foundation
- David Galas, Chief Science Officer for Biology and Life Sciences, Battelle Memorial Institute
- Michael West, CEO, BioTime / Adjunct Professor of Bioengineering, UC Berkeley
- Lee, Byeong Chun, Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University

Symposiarch
- Gina Smith, New York Times best-selling author of iWOZ and The Genomics Age


   
Sustainable Earth        
Looking toward renewable resources through the development of green technologies could diminish humankind¡¯s most formidable enemies such as pollution, climate change, disease, poverty and famine.

. How should we comprehend the true meaning of sustainable living and embrace it into our lives?
. What factors (such as natural disasters, biodiversity, ecosystems) will affect the future of agriculture and/or food security? How should we prepare for these?
. How can we secure the sustainable development of urban life? (e.g. city planning, building and landscape design, etc.)
. How can we provide a stable supply of clean water and air in metropolitan cities?
. What are practical solutions to global warming?
. How will agriculture allow us to continue to feed an ever growing population?
. How can we secure the efficiency of food distribution to poor countries?
. What organizations are true front runners in coordinating these issues?

Visionaries
- Ken Yeang, Director, Llewelyn Davies Yeang and T. R. Hamzah & Yeang Sdn.
- Dickson Despommier, Professor, Public Health in Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia University
- Cary Fowler, Executive Director, Global Crop Diversity Trust
- Park, Yoon Sik, Head of Desalination Plant BG, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction

Symposiarch
- Choe Jae Chun, Chair, Division of EcoScience, Ewha Woman¡¯s University / President, Ecological Society of Korea

Energy        
Imagine the world without environmental threats. We must find an alternative to petroleum, both for the world¡¯s economy and the environment.

. What alternative fuels could replace oil and atomic energy?
. What technologies are really out there?
. How will new fuels change the landscape of the transportation industry?

Visionaries
- Kaname Ikeda, Director General, ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Organization
- Thorbj©ªrn N. Rasmussen, President, Vestas Asia Pacific
- David Panton, Senior Vice President, Asia, Pacific & South Africa Region, BMW

Symposiarch
- Mark Eddo, Business and Economics Correspondent, ITV News

Luncheon
*Special Speech
Visionary
- Yu, In-Chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Korea
Entertainment: At the Forefront of Imagination
What is the source of the creative inspiration that gives rise to the music, movies and other forms of entertainment that are such indispensable?elements in our lives? The answer is imagination. And how does imagination play a role in?the?purposeful creation of entertainment and take the?lead in shaping our cultural, social, and even political landscapes??We will explore the fascinating world of the entertainment arts and how imagination stands at the forefront of creative development.

Visionaries
- Will.I.AM, Producer/Lead Vocal, Black Eyed Peas

McKinsey Workshop: Climate Change - What can information and communication technology companies do about it?
As the climate change issue moves front and center, there is increasing attention being paid on how to reduce carbon emissions. What role will information and technology companies play in reducing carbon emissions? What will be the opportunities for these companies in the next 5-15 years?

Visionaries
- Gordon Orr, Director, McKinsey&Company, Global Leader of Strategy Practice, Asia Leader of ICT Climate Change Initiative
- Jay Samit, Executive Vice President, Sony Corporation of America / General Manager, Sony Connect
*Additional visionaries TBC (To be confirmed).

Interface
Technologies are displaying increasingly more user-friendly interactivity. We will explore the new ideas that are accelerating the evolution of the user interface.
. How are humans interacting with technology?(e.g. devices, computer platforms, etc.)

Visionaries
- Anand Agarawala, CEO, BumpTop
- Dale Herigstad, CCO, Schematic
- Ryu, In-Kyung, Executive Vice President & Director of LGE Advanced Research Institute, LG Electronics
- Mike Matas, Human Interface Designer

Symposiarch
- Scott Page, CEO & Co-founder, New Media Broadcasting Company / Saxophone and Guitarist Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Toto

Urban Design

Thoughtful and imaginative urban design enhances the aesthetic, social and economic aspects of our lives. It also enables us to lead more sustainable lives by improving the way public places are experienced and used.
. What visions do architects aim to articulate through their designs?
. Why does urban design matter? What implications does it have for our lives?
. How could related industries (e.g. the transportation industry)contribute towards pioneering better lifestyles?
. What can we learn from trends such as the compact city and new urbanism?
. How should Seoul go about its quest for better urban design?

Visionaries
- Yoo, Kerl, CEO, IARC / Architect, New Seoul City Hall Complex
- Joshua Prince-Ramus, President, REX / Architect, Seattle Central Library
- James Powderly, Co-founder, Graffiti Research Lab

Symposiarch
- Cameron Sinclair, Executive Director, Architecture for Humanity,¡°Eternal Optimist¡±

Networking Dinner
*Special Speech
Visionary
- Oh, Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul

Opening Keynote ¡°Again to the Moon¡± ¡±
As the final frontier for the human race, space has always been in our imagination. In April 2008, Korea sent its very first homegrown astronaut to the International Space Station (ISS), joining the dream of humans living together in space, hopefully peacefully.

. Why space and what are its implications to us?
. What is really out there in space? (e.g. new life, resources, etc.)
. What have we achieved since the Wright Brothers?
. What has been accomplished since Sputnik?
. Where are we now in explaining the origin of the universe and our planets?
. What must we do to prepare ourselves for a space age?
. Are we prepared for the vastness of space: Confrontation and communication with other forms of life; lack of sustainable necessities, or possibly excess of light, heat, water, food? Is there such a thing as readiness when we know not what exist beyond the stars?

Visionary
- Eugene Cernan, Commander of Apollo XVII - ¡°The Last Man on the Moon¡±

Expanding Space Frontier
Throughout the past century, governments have been seriously investing in space programs that have ranged from exploration, defense and possible colonization. Now, the private sector is competing for the skies; certainly space and its unknown vastness is capable of supporting both the government and private sectors, how can both be satisfied?

Visionaries
- Kozo Fujii, Research Director, Institute of Space and Aeronautical Science,JAXA
- Kwak, Dochan, Chief of the Applications Branch,Advanced Supercomputing Division, NASA
- Park, Chul, Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering, KAIST
- Rick Tumlinson, Co-founder, Space Frontier Foundation

Symposiarch
- Pete Worden, Director, NASA Ames Research Center

Privatizing Space Exploration
World leaders and visionaries are using their financial resources to take space discovery and tourism to a whole new height. By collaborating and uniting, they are bringing space closer to the consumers. With enormous technical difficulties ahead, solutions will require even more heroic determination. Is the private sector picking up where governments have left off?

. What has been accomplished since Sputnik?
. What must we do to prepare ourselves for a space age?
. When will we be able to purchase a roundtrip ticket to the moon?

Visionaries
- Paik, Hong-Yul, President, Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI)
- Ann Druyan, Co-writer of Emmy Award-Winning Series, ¡°Cosmos¡± / CEO, Cosmos Studios
- Scott Hubbard, Professor, Stanford University Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Xavier Claramunt, Founding Director, Galactic Suite

Symposiarch
- Paul Eckert, International and Commercial Strategist, The Boeing Company, IDS, Space Exploration

Luncheon
*Special Speech
Visionaries
- Kim, Doh-Yeon, Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Korea
Media Summit - Game
Games have grown from being highly formulistic and repetitive into virtual worlds and artificial intelligence. The game world is becoming a new market place for asset ownership and out-of-body experiences. How will the new breed of games inspire Hollywood, inventors and advertisers?

Visionaries
- Kim, Jung Ju, Founder, NEXON Corporation /CEO, NEXON Holdings Corporation
- Allan Alcorn, Co-founder, Atari
- Johnathan¡®Fatal1ty¡¯Wendel, E-Sportsman

Symposiarch
- Nolan Bushnell, Founder, Atari / CEO, uWink

Demo - Rethink your Desktop
Visionary
By Anand Agarawala, CEO, BumpTop
Investor
Wielding their Midas hands, investors are always looking for groundbreaking ideas to deploy wealth. Discussing all the ideas presented at the conference, world-class investors will share their insights on the most potentially lucrative and profitable trends in business today.

Visionaries
- Warren Packard, Managing Director, Draper Fisher Jurvetson
- Koh, Jeong-suk, President, Ilshin Investment
- Scott Matlock, Chairman of Asia M&A, Morgan Stanley

Symposiarch
- Dennis Levine, CEO, Adasar Group

Wrap-up Symposium : Evolving the Human Race Beyond
By synthesizing all of the conference discussions in a wrap-up session, we will settle on some of the most critical lessons and insights. What areas can we work on together to create a better planet earth?

Visionaries
- Symposiarchs

Symposiarch
- Ken Rutkowski, CEO, KenRadio Broadcasting

DAY 1 (May 6) DAY 2 (May 7) DAY 3 (May 8)
Opening Keynote
Again to the Moon
09:00-09:50
Opening Ceremony
Short Film & Overture Speech
09:50-11:00
Sustainable Earth
09:00-10:10
Expanding Space Frontier
10:00-11:10
Media Summit
Keynote Speech
11:25-12:10
Energy
10:20-11:30
Privatizing Space Exploration
11:20-12:30
Luncheon
Special Speech by Choi, See
Joong, Chairman of Korea Communications Commission
12:20-13:25
Luncheon
Special Speech by Yu, In-Chon, Minister of Culture,
Sports and Tourism,Korea
11:40-13:00
Luncheon
Special Speech by Kim, Doh-Yeon,Minister of Education,
Science and Technology,Korea
12:35-13:35
Media Summit
Unleashing Content
13:35-14:55
Entertainment: At the Forefront of Imagination
13:00-13:45
Media Summit
Game
13:50-14:50
Communication
15:10-16:20
McKinsey Workshop
Climate Change - What can information and communication
technology companies do about it?
13:55-14:55
Demo
Rethink your Desktop
15:05-15:15
Imagination Master Class
The Philosophy of Creativity
and Inventiveness for Super Imagination

16:30-16:50
Interface
15:10-16:35
Investor
15:30-16:40
Biotechnology
17:00-18:20
Urban Design
16:45-18:10
Wrap-up
16:50-18:00
Networking Dinner
Special Speech by Oh, Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul
18:40-21:00