"Turning Point for Enhancing International Status"... Choi Dae-haeng Reviews APEC Summit Preparation Status

Tourism Sector 'Livelihood Economy Review Meeting'
"Driving Domestic Demand Through Tourism Growth"

Yonhap News

Choi Sang-mok, Acting President and Deputy Prime Minister as well as Minister of Strategy and Finance, stated on the 20th, "This year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit will be a crucial turning point for enhancing South Korea's international status and revitalizing the regional economy," and urged, "For this, related ministries, Gyeongbuk Province, Gyeongju City, and the private sector should work as one team."

According to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, Acting President Choi visited Gyeongju City, Gyeongbuk Province on the day to check the preparation status of the APEC Summit and held a meeting to review the tourism sector and the livelihood economy.

Acting President Choi mentioned that the 1st Senior Officials' Meeting, the Deputy Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting held in Gyeongju in February and March were successfully concluded, saying, "Despite the severe domestic and international environment, it was an opportunity to demonstrate South Korea's political and economic resilience to the international community."

After having lunch with members of the regional APEC Pan-City and Citizen Support Council, including the Gyeongju Chamber of Commerce and tourism organizations located in Gyeongju City, Acting President Choi participated in experiential activities such as rice cake making and tea ceremonies at 'Dayeon,' 'Gyochon Clothing Shop,' 'Gyochon Garam,' and 'Gyodong Beopju' within the Gyochon Hanok Village.

Acting President Choi then held a livelihood economy review meeting at the Choi Buja Academy located in Gyochon Hanok Village, Gyeongju City. He stated, "Although the number of tourists visiting Korea recently has reached an all-time high, competition to attract tourists from neighboring countries is intensifying, and inbound tourists are concentrated in certain areas such as Seoul," adding, "We will promote growth in tourism exports and drive domestic demand through strategies to diversify inbound markets, products, and routes."

He announced, "To diversify inbound markets, we will implement a temporary visa exemption for Chinese group tourists in the third quarter and will announce detailed implementation plans in April." The plan aims to expand the supply of customized tourism products to convert potential demand from Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other regions into actual visits to Korea.

Additionally, experiential tourism products linked with various industries such as K-Food, beauty, content, and sports will be prepared, and from May, an 'Inbound One-Stop' consultation support desk will be operated within the Korea Tourism Industry Portal for local governments and small business owners who wish to attract foreign tourists.

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