Gyeongju City Rolls Up Sleeves to Host the 32nd APEC Summit in 2025

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Dongguk Lee] Gyeongju City has stepped forward to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit meeting to be held in South Korea in 2025.

The APEC summit is an international conference where heads of member countries of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, including the US, China, Japan, and Russia, gather in one place. Since the first APEC summit was held in Seattle, USA, in 1993, it has been hosted annually on a rotating basis among the 21 member countries.

South Korea previously hosted the summit in 2005 at the 'Nurimaru' conference hall in Haeundae, Busan, and is set to host it again four years later.

Currently, Busan, Incheon, Jeju, and Daejeon have expressed their intention to host the '2025 APEC Summit,' and Gyeongju City sees this bid as a stepping stone to enhance the brand value of the millennium-old city. In close cooperation with Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Gyeongju is accelerating its efforts to secure the hosting rights.

Gyeongju City estimates that the 2025 APEC summit will generate an economic ripple effect exceeding 1 trillion won. According to the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Research Institute, the economic impact on the Gyeongbuk region is expected to include 972 billion won in production inducement, 465.4 billion won in added value inducement, and the creation of 7,908 jobs.

While actively promoting Gyeongju as the optimal location for the APEC summit, the city plans to highlight its tourism and cultural resources that showcase the beauty of Korea at a glance, along with linking industrial cities Pohang and Gumi to emphasize an image of a host city where tradition and cutting-edge technology coexist.

Above all, regarding the security of heads of state, which is the most important consideration at APEC, Gyeongju plans to leverage the geographical advantages of the Bomun Tourist Complex, where both accommodations and the conference hall are located within a short distance and surrounded by mountains, resembling a fortress.

To establish its status as an international conference city, Gyeongju will also focus on enhancing the competitiveness of the Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Center. The city plans to invest 23.8 billion won to expand the relatively small exhibition facilities compared to its top-tier conference facilities, with construction scheduled to begin aiming for completion in December 2023.

Mayor Jun Nak-young said, "Gyeongju is a treasure trove of Korean history and a world city lined with World Cultural Heritage sites," adding, "I believe this conference will further elevate the city and instill pride as citizens of an international city."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.