Gyeongju City Becomes First in Korea to Win 'Outstanding International Conference District' at Korea MICE Awards

Gyeongju Reaffirms Its Status as an International Conference City After Successfully Hosting APEC
International Conference District Operations and Management Receive Top Marks Following APEC

Gyeongju City has once again demonstrated its competitiveness as a global international conference city.

On November 25, Gyeongju City announced that it had been honored as the nation's first recipient in the "Outstanding International Conference District" category at the 23rd Korea MICE Awards, receiving the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award.

Gyeongju City Hall Exterior View

The "Korea MICE Awards" is the most prestigious awards ceremony in the domestic MICE industry, hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and organized by the Korea Tourism Organization. It recognizes individuals and organizations that have contributed to the industry's development over the past year.

This year, Gyeongju was selected as the first city to receive the newly established International Conference District award, demonstrating its nationwide competitiveness.

In particular, Gyeongju City received high marks for being recognized as the successful host city of the 2025 APEC Summit and for clearly proving its excellence in responding to international events and in the operation and management of its international conference district.

Since December 2022, when 1.78 million square meters encompassing the Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Center (HICO) and the Bomun Tourist Complex were designated as an international conference complex district, the city has continued to expand its infrastructure, being selected for activation support projects for three consecutive years.

This year, various activation projects have further enhanced Gyeongju's competitiveness as an international conference city, including: ▲ environmental improvements based on region-specific content, ▲ support for collaborative marketing among integrated facilities, ▲ provision of convenience through smart (digital) infrastructure, and ▲ strengthening of a sustainable industrial ecosystem.

Joo Nakyoung, Mayor of Gyeongju, stated, "Following APEC, Gyeongju's MICE capabilities have been nationally recognized once again," adding, "We will further solidify our status as an international conference city and firmly establish a sustainable MICE ecosystem linked to local industries."

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