Lee Cheol-woo, Governor of Gyeongbuk Province, continued his swift efforts by meeting with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to propose hosting the 2025 APEC Summit in Gyeongju.
Governor Lee confidently asserted that Gyeongju is the optimal city to host the 2025 APEC Summit. Alongside Joo Nak-young, Mayor of Gyeongju, and Kim Seok-ki, Member of the National Assembly, he met with Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on the 27th and proactively proposed that Gyeongju be selected over competing cities as part of the current government's realization of a local era.
Gyeongbuk Governor Lee Cheol-woo is taking a photo after proposing to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to host the 2025 APEC Summit in Gyeongju. (From right in the photo: Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, People Power Party lawmaker Kim Seok-ki) Photo by [photographer's name]
Gyeongju is currently the only small to medium-sized basic local government among the competing cities, making it ideal for achieving the national agenda of balanced regional development and revitalizing the tourism economy through hosting the APEC Summit. It promotes itself as the best venue to practice the inclusive growth outlined in APEC’s ‘Vision 2040.’
Based on its successful experience hosting major international events over the past decade, such as the APEC Education Ministers’ Meeting (2012), the 7th World Water Forum (2015), and the 6th World Humanities Forum (2020), Gyeongju believes it has sufficient capacity to host the 2025 APEC Summit.
Within a 1.5 km radius of the Bomun complex in Gyeongju, all accommodation facilities and conference halls are located. Unlike other candidate cities, Gyeongju is not adjacent to the sea and is surrounded by mountains on three sides, which allows for controlled security and safety for the heads of state from various countries?an additional advantage.
Furthermore, as a well-prepared international conference (MICE-focused) city, Gyeongju has ample accommodation facilities to host the leaders, entourages, and press corps from the 21 APEC member countries. The main conference venue, the Hwa-baek Convention Center, is scheduled for expansion completion in 2025, making it fully capable of hosting a large-scale summit.
Above all, Gyeongju is a representative city proud of Korea’s historical culture and the most Korean city, offering an opportunity to promote beautiful Korean culture worldwide.
The city of Gyeongju also highlights its proximity to Pohang (steel), Gumi (electronics and semiconductors), and Ulsan (automobiles and shipbuilding), which are industrial development hubs, making it an ideal city for hosting schedules for developing country leaders and their spouses. It is equipped with Gimhae Airport, Daegu Airport, and KTX stations, all accessible within 1 to 2 hours, providing optimal conditions.
Governor Lee Cheol-woo stated, “If the 2025 APEC Summit is held in Gyeongju, which meets the optimal conditions, it will be a meaningful occasion where leaders from 21 countries gather to discuss inclusive and sustainable growth in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as ways to promote trade and investment, all from a local perspective.”
He added, “We expect the central government to actively support various local efforts, and Gyeongbuk Province will definitely secure the 2025 APEC Summit for Gyeongju to open a new era of local development.”
On this day, Governor Lee also proposed to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo key provincial issues including hosting the 2023 National Sports for All Festival, designating Gumi as a semiconductor specialized complex, and designating Pohang as a secondary battery anode material specialized complex. He requested support for the designation of specialized complexes to promote regional industrial development and strengthen competitiveness.
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