APF Asian Brown Bag Series #1 - 4 X 4 Future Scenarios Tested in South Korea and Their Implications

About the Session:

For over a decade, Dr Seongwon Park has worked with Korean citizens to explore the future using the "Four Images of the Future" methodology developed by the Hawaii Manoa School. These four future images encompass both possible and preferred futures. In futures workshops, participants first analyze the characteristics and trajectories of the four futures, then select one as the most likely outcome given current trends and another as their preferred future for future generations. By combining four possible futures with four preferred futures, citizens generate 16 unique future scenarios -- what he terms the "Four by Four Methodology" for future strategy development. In the discussion, Dr Park will share the broader context of how the practice of foresight has developed in South Korea.

About Dr. Seongwon Park

Seongwon Park earned his Ph.D. in Futures Studies from the Department of Political Science at the University of Hawaii. He has worked as a futurist in South Korea at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) and the National Assembly Futures Institute (NAFI). He co-founded the Asia-Pacific Futures Network with Sohail Inayatullah and Kuohua Chen and was recognized as The Outstanding Young Futurist by the World Futures Studies Federation. Currently, he is the founder and CEO of Future Orange, a futures consulting firm.