Gyeongbuk Province Selects 202 Volunteers for APEC Preparatory Senior Officials Meeting

73% in Their 20s, 12% Foreigners Among Selected Volunteers

Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 31st that it has finalized the selection of 202 volunteers who will actively support and lead the 2025 APEC Senior Officials' Meeting.

The volunteers selected this time will work at the APEC Senior Officials' Meeting (APEC SOM1), the first preliminary meeting held in the host country of the 2025 APEC Leaders' Meeting, where substantial consultations and decisions on major APEC summit agendas take place.

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office

APEC SOM1 volunteers will welcome global delegations visiting Korea by assisting in five areas: immigration support, transportation, accommodation, tourism, and conference venues, creating beautiful memories in Korea.

During the three-week recruitment period for APEC SOM1 volunteers, 972 applicants nationwide applied, demonstrating the public's strong interest in APEC. Through the first round of document screening and interviews and the second round of face-to-face interviews, 202 outstanding individuals joined the volunteer team.

The final 202 selected volunteers consist of 64 men (31%), 138 women (69%), 179 Koreans (88%), 23 foreigners (12%), 125 students (62%), 77 general public members (38%), 61 Gyeongju residents (30%), and 141 from outside Gyeongju (70%).

Volunteers in their 20s make up the majority with 149 people (73.7%), and 19 seniors aged 60 and above (10%) also passed, forming an elite team that spans all generations for the APEC SOM1 volunteer team.

Notably, 23 foreigners from countries including the United States, China, and Vietnam were selected as volunteers, facilitating smooth communication with the delegations visiting APEC SOM1 and sharing every moment in Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk.

The 202 volunteers selected this time will undergo basic training and on-site practice starting February 20 and will actively support APEC SOM1 on-site from February 22 to March 10.

Kim Sang-cheol, head of the Gyeongbuk Province APEC Preparation Support Group, said, “We are grateful for the numerous talented individuals nationwide who applied for the APEC SOM1 volunteer recruitment,” and added, “We will do our best with the selected volunteers to make this the most successful APEC SOM1 in history.”

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