Youngmin Kim

Prof. Youngmin Kim is a leading landscape architect, educator, and design director with extensive experience in both academic and professional practice. He currently serves as Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Seoul and as Design Director at VRION, a landscape architecture firm based in Korea.

He studied architecture and landscape architecture at Seoul National University, later earning a Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. His early career included practice at the internationally renowned SWA Group (USA), followed by a teaching appointment as Lecturer at the University of Southern California before returning to Korea.

Prof. Kim’s work is driven by the pursuit of a new interdisciplinary foundation that bridges contemporary practice and theory in architecture, landscape, and urbanism. His approach integrates design innovation with cultural and urban context, advancing landscape architecture as a discipline that engages ecology, heritage, and city-making.

He has contributed significantly to major urban design and public space projects in Korea, including:

• Paris Park Renovation
• Gwanghwamun Square Renovation
• Administrative City Central Plaza

In addition to practice, Prof. Kim is an accomplished author, editor, and translator, with multiple publications on landscape design and urbanism. His scholarly and professional contributions highlight the evolving role of landscape architecture in shaping sustainable, livable, and culturally grounded cities.

With his combined expertise as a practitioner, academic, and thought leader, Prof. Youngmin Kim continues to play a pivotal role in advancing innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to landscape architecture in Korea and internationally.