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 6,058 global speakers and 66,022 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 Schrfder, 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 26th year, a wide range of discussions will take place under the theme “New Odyssey: Navigating the Great Transition.”

This year's World Knowledge Forum will be joined by leading experts in their respective fields, including Charles Michel, former President of the European Council; Jared Diamond, Professor Emeritus at UCLA; Werner Vogels, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Amazon; Robert Smith, Chairman of Vista Equity Partners; Richard Teng, CEO of Binance; Herbert Diess, former Chairman of Volkswagen and current Chairman of Infineon; Martin Eberhard, Co-founder of Tesla; Nazir Razak, former Chairman of CIMB; Jim Moran, former Republican Congressman; Ashishkumar Chauhan, CEO of the National Stock Exchange of India; Chad Wolf, Executive Vice President of the America First Policy Institute; Anne Corona, CEO of AON; Marisa Chearanon, Advisor to the CP Group; Kurt Björklund, CEO of Permira; Ian Horrocks, Professor at Oxford University; Tsevegdorj Tuvaan, Minister of Mineral Resources of Mongolia; and James Robinson, Professor at the University of Chicago.

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.