About WKF

Following the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the World Knowledge Forum (WKF) was founded in October 2000 after two years of preparation with the ambition to transform Korea into a knowledge-driven nation. Since then, the World Knowledge Forum has served as a platform for active discussions aimed at narrowing knowledge gaps through knowledge sharing, and fostering balanced global economic growth and prosperity.

A total of approximately 5,832 global speakers and 62,821 attendees have participated since the inaugural forum in 2000, held under the theme of 'Shaping the New Millennium with Knowledge.' The WKF has since grown into one of the largest knowledge-sharing events worldwide.

Prominent speakers at previous WKFs have included state leaders such as George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States; Theresa May, the 76th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Nicolas Sarkozy, the 23rd President of the French Republic; and Gerhard Schröder, the 7th Chancellor of Germany. Presidents of international organizations have also participated, including Jim Yong Kim, the 12th President of the World Bank. Founders and CEOs such as Bill Gates, Co-founder of Microsoft Corporation; Larry Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Oracle Corporation; John L. Hennessy, Chairman of Alphabet; and George Soros, Chairman of Soros Fund Management, have graced the forum. Scholars including Larry Summers, Paul Krugman, Michael Porter, and Gregory Mankiw have also addressed the forum.

Celebrating its 25th year, the World Knowledge Forum will host a variety of discussions under the theme "Journey Towards Coexistence".

This year's World Knowledge Forum will be joined by leading experts in their respective fields, including Hun Sen, former Prime Minister of Cambodia; Mauricio Macri, former President of Argentina; Naftali Bennett, former Prime Minister of Israel; John Kelly, the 28th White House Chief of Staff; Robert C. O’Brien, the 27th U.S. National Security Advisor; Linda G. Mills, the 17th President of New York University; Kohei Itoh, the 20th President of Keio University; Jonathan Gray, Blackstone COO; Kam Ghaffarian, Co-Founder of X-energy; Ian Goldin, Professor at Oxford University; Chris Miller, Professor at Tufts University; and Dominique Perrault, French architect and urban planner.

Brand Identity

The new logo of the World Knowledge Forum embodies the concept of encompassing knowledge from the highest peaks to the deepest depths across various fields, not only in Asia but around the globe.

Logomark

Grid/Clear Space

An adequate amount of space around the logomark is needed for it to properly stand out.
An adequate amount of Clear Space based on space regulation is also needed, so that no elements will interrupt the domain.

Logomark

Wide Type

Logomark

Wide Type Grid/Clear Space

The World Knowledge Forum

Color

The color of the World Knowledge Forum Logomark represents the pioneering spirit toward the future and the legitimacy that continues from the past.
The red color symbolizes the great will of pursuing the common value of the world by sharing knowledge.
Changing the colors of the World Knowledge Forum Logomark is prohibited, it should comply with the rules of color.

Jiboongi

Jiboongi is a combination of “knowledge” and “owl” in Korean, and it represents Maeil Business Newspaper’s World Knowledge Forum.

While exploring the solar system on a “Knowledge Planet” 20 billion light years away from Earth, he landed in a time capsule in Namsan Hanok Village, Seoul. After that, it instinctively realized the rules of global capitalism and got a job as an intern at the World Knowledge Forum Secretariat of the Maeil Business Newspaper, the closest company to Hanok Village. Everything on Earth is still unfamiliar for him, but he is aiming to become a universal knowledge creator and gradually adapting to the Earth.

The story of Jiboongi’s adaptation on Earth can be found on the World Knowledge Forum YouTube Channel, and now we run a “Jiboong Salon” channel as well that conveys the stories of women walking their way in various fields.