As the government prepares to announce the host city for the '2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit' at the end of this month, voices from various sectors in Incheon are increasingly calling for an 'objective evaluation based on the announced criteria.' There are concerns that political considerations such as regional balanced development might interfere in the APEC host city selection process, potentially leading the government to make a wrong decision.
According to Incheon City on the 18th, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs completed on-site inspections last month of the three candidate cities for hosting the APEC Summit?Incheon, Gyeongju, and Jeju?and plans to finalize the host city as early as late this month.
The APEC Summit is an annual meeting attended by leaders and ministers from 21 Asia-Pacific countries, with over 6,000 participants. It will be held domestically next November for the first time in 20 years since it was hosted in Busan in 2005. Among the three candidate cities, Incheon has self-assessed that it leads in terms of airport, accommodation, conference facilities, as well as transportation, security, and safety conditions.
Incheon boasts solid infrastructure including an international airport, hotels, convention centers, and the Songdo International Business District. It also has experience hosting large-scale international events such as the 2018 OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) World Forum and the 2023 ADB (Asian Development Bank) Annual Meeting, which are considered strengths.
Additionally, Incheon is an investment hub with Korea's largest free economic zone and is home to world-class bio-production companies and semiconductor post-processing firms. It also possesses human and physical infrastructure that APEC can fully utilize, including 15 international organizations and 5 global campuses.
At the "4th Incheon Resident Autonomy Unity Festival" held on June 16, 2023, Mayor Yoo Jung-bok, heads of 10 district and county local governments, and residents performed a promotional event for attracting the "2025 APEC Summit." [Photo by Incheon City]
If Incheon successfully hosts the APEC Summit, it is estimated that the city's brand value will increase and the economic ripple effect will exceed 2 trillion won. Because of this, competition among candidate cities is intensifying. Some point out that if regional balanced development logic or political influence affects the selection process, the APEC Summit could end up being poorly hosted.
On the 18th, Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok emphasized in a media article that "the hosting of the APEC Summit should not be approached solely from the perspective of regional balance." Mayor Yoo stated, "Through the week-long event, we must showcase South Korea's high national stature and future development prospects to the APEC leaders and impress them. To do so, the APEC Summit must be held in a prepared city with perfect infrastructure capable of successful operation."
Earlier, on the 11th, Hwang Hyo-jin, Incheon City's Deputy Mayor for Global City Affairs, said at an APEC Summit-related forum, "Based on the selection criteria for the APEC Summit, Incheon’s hosting is natural, but Incheon is struggling amid a 'frame war' shaped by political logic." He added, "The host city for the APEC Summit must be selected according to publicly disclosed criteria."
Incheon’s civil society also holds the position that the optimal city maximizing national interests and economic diplomacy outcomes must be selected for the successful hosting of the APEC Summit.
On the 17th, Park Ju-bong, Chairman of the Incheon Chamber of Commerce and Industry, pointed out in a media article related to the APEC Summit that the government must strictly evaluate candidate cities based on 'publicly disclosed criteria' essential for successful event hosting, such as conference facilities, accommodation, security, and safety.
Chairman Park said, "We experienced the unprepared Saemangeum Jamboree last summer. It was a national embarrassment, and the pride of the people was shattered." He urged careful consideration in selecting the APEC host city to avoid repeating such failures.
Kim Song-won, Secretary-General of the Incheon Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice, emphasized, "Since the APEC Summit is a venue where leaders come together to address global trade and economic issues, it is fundamental that it be held in a city fully equipped to achieve the meeting’s objectives."
He added, "The government must not repeat the behavior of making wrong decisions swayed by political logic. Since the APEC Summit is a major event involving national trust and interests, the criteria and evaluation results for selecting the host city must be transparently disclosed."
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