260 Suites Prepared
8,000 New Jobs to Be Created
Gyeongbuk Province announced on the 20th that it is mobilizing all administrative resources to prepare for the ‘2025 APEC Summit’ to be held in November.
Since Gyeongju was selected as the host city last year amid difficult circumstances through the aspirations of 5 million residents of the province and city, Gyeongbuk Province has firmly grasped the reins of event preparation from the start by launching a ‘Preparation Support TF’ and immediately allocating contingency funds to promote facility construction upon securing national funding, overcoming the relatively short preparation period.
The APEC hosting is a large-scale event that will generate 1 trillion KRW in production inducement and create 8,000 jobs for Gyeongbuk Province. It is an opportunity not only for small and medium-sized cities like Los Cabos in Mexico and Vladivostok in Russia to rise as globally renowned cities but also for South Korea to advance as a top-tier nation. Therefore, preparations for a successful event are being accelerated.
Los Cabos, Mexico, transformed from a small resort city with a population of 70,000 into an international tourist city with 340,000 residents through the APEC event. Vladivostok, Russia, after hosting the event, was designated as a free trade port, developed casinos, and continuously held the Eastern Economic Forum, emerging as Russia’s representative tourist city.
Gyeongbuk Province is already conducting detailed designs for the summit venue, media center, and exhibition hall to build international-level infrastructure. Especially, with the tentative decision on the banquet hall site, which faced difficulties until the last moment, efforts to accelerate the construction of related infrastructure will be intensified.
Additionally, with the operation of sector-specific advisory committees and the early implementation of conceptual service projects, the basic plans for medical services, transportation, and exhibition hall composition are nearing completion. More concrete implementation plans will be prepared through discussions with the central government.
Having already secured 171.6 billion KRW in essential national budget for hosting the summit, Gyeongbuk Province plans to secure additional funds based on the ‘2025 Gyeongju Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit Support Special Act’ (APEC Special Act), which was passed with full support from ruling and opposition lawmakers, to prepare an event that will further elevate South Korea’s national prestige.
Governor Lee Cheol-woo of Gyeongbuk, serving as the PRS Promotion Committee Chairman, has laid the cornerstone for APEC’s success by personally overseeing accommodations for heads of state visiting Gyeongju and establishing perfect infrastructure. Through the development of the summit venue, media center, and PRS, concerns about infrastructure shortages due to hosting in a small and medium-sized city are being resolved.
In particular, the accommodation sector, which had raised significant external concerns, has been confirmed by central government officials during on-site inspections to have no issues in terms of the number of rooms and infrastructure, as Gyeongju has been designated as an international conference complex district. For the PRS, where heads of state and global CEOs will stay, Governor Lee Cheol-woo personally chairs the PRS Promotion Committee to provide world-class lodging facilities.
Governor Lee and the PRS Promotion Committee have finalized a standard model for summit-level accommodations through visits to five-star hotels such as Shilla and Lotte in the Seoul metropolitan area. They have secured a total of 35 summit-level accommodations (existing 19, new 6, quasi-PRS 10) to provide not only heads of state but also global CEOs like Elon Musk with lodging that embodies the charm and coziness of Korea.
Moreover, the summit venue to be set up at the Gyeongbuk Hwabaek Convention Center (HICO) is currently undergoing detailed design. Combining Korean aesthetics and cutting-edge technology, it is expected to be unveiled in September as a world-class MICE facility optimized for multilateral and bilateral meetings, as well as the movement and conference flow of heads of state.
The international media center to be built outdoors at HICO will feature a main briefing room, sector-specific press rooms, interview rooms, and business lounges, providing optimal coverage conditions for about 4,000 domestic and foreign journalists visiting Gyeongju. At the same time, it will captivate the world’s attention with facilities blending K-food catering that embodies Korean taste and beauty, interior design, and advanced technologies such as K-medical and AI robot catering services.
The banquet hall, whose final site decision is pending, will impress heads of state and CEOs with cultural assets unique to Gyeongju, such as the Emille Bell and the Geumgwan Exhibition.
Gyeongbuk Province plans to make the banquet hall a space where heads of state and global CEOs can naturally foster friendship and harmony. Beyond being just a venue, it will be decorated to showcase Gyeongju’s cultural charm with traditional performances, K-food, and local banquet liquors from Gyeongbuk and Gyeongju.
Since APEC is an economic community meeting attended not only by world leaders but also by global CEOs, this event is expected to become the largest ‘Sales Gyeongbuk’ stage in history.
Gyeongbuk Province is putting all efforts into inviting global CEOs by cooperating with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and others to match domestic and international global CEOs one-on-one. Additionally, it plans to prepare about 260 suites to provide a comfortable business environment for visiting businesspeople and allow them to enjoy Korean culture.
The exhibition hall to be built at Gyeongju Expo Plaza will serve as the site of the largest ‘Sale Korea, Sale Gyeongbuk’ in South Korea’s industrial history. It will consist of the Korea Industrial History Hall, showcasing South Korea’s industrial growth from a least developed country to one of the world’s top 10 economies; the Advanced Future Industry Hall, displaying Korea’s cutting-edge technology and Gyeongbuk’s distinctive future industries; corporate pavilions; and cultural experience halls.
At the corporate pavilions, global conglomerates are expected to showcase cutting-edge technologies surpassing those presented at CES. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power, headquartered in Gyeongju, plans to create a separate exhibition hall themed on future energy such as SMR and hydrogen, with various displays.
Furthermore, during the summit, Gyeongju will host various economic programs including the ‘2025 Gyeongbuk International Forum,’ where world-renowned scholars will discuss three core future industries: semiconductors, energy, and quantum computing and AI; the Hallyu Export Fair; investment environment briefings; and industrial site tours in Pohang and Gumi. These events will serve as platforms to strengthen global expansion and investment business cooperation for Gyeongbuk and South Korean companies.
Since the driving force behind Gyeongju’s APEC hosting is the thousand-year history and culture of Silla, Gyeongbuk Province will showcase the culture of Gyeongbuk and Gyeongju, the source of K-Hallyu, to the world through this event.
Gyeongbuk Province will hold APEC cultural festivals throughout Gyeongju, including Korean cultural experiences, K-POP, K-musicals, K-food culture exhibitions, the 5 Korean elements, media facades, drone art shows, virtual convergence content, K-content, and representative brand performances from provinces and cities, turning it into an opportunity to spread Gyeongju’s culture.
Additionally, through the development of various themed tourism programs such as heritage and industrial sites, participants visiting Gyeongju during APEC will have opportunities to experience Korean history and culture.
In particular, by combining Gyeongbuk’s cultural DNA with advanced technology through projects like the Silla Royal Capital Time Machine and the Metaverse Convergence Multiplex, the 2025 APEC aims to present a new paradigm of global Hallyu to the world.
The power of citizens, who gathered 1.47 million signatures in just 85 days, is also demonstrating its strength in the APEC preparation process.
Following the launch of the ‘Successful Hosting Promotion Committee’ composed of about 140 representatives from various organizations and groups on November 11 last year, a Pan-Provincial Support Council consisting of about 1,000 citizens is scheduled to be launched on February 7.
The Pan-Provincial Support Council, made up of representatives and members of civic groups from Gyeongbuk Province and Gyeongju City, will carry out advanced cultural citizen movements such as advanced tourism, traffic order, and environmental maintenance.
In particular, leveraging APEC as an opportunity for a shift in civic consciousness and structural change, the council will promote the ‘New Gyeongbuk·Gyeongju Project,’ a new citizen movement model aimed at making Gyeongju a mature global city. It will devote all efforts to transforming Gyeongbuk and Gyeongju into one of the world’s top 10 tourist cities.
The strong support and interest of citizens in APEC were clearly reflected in the recent recruitment of 200 volunteers for the 1st High-Level Meeting, which received over 1,000 applications, showing a high competition rate of 5 to 1.
Notably, among the volunteer applicants, about 100 were foreigners. The participation of student volunteers from member countries not only boosts pride in Gyeongbuk but also strengthens friendly relations between Korea and member countries and encourages future settlement of international students in Korea, giving it even greater significance.
Having completed the blueprint for the success of the ‘2025 APEC Summit’ in terms of facility infrastructure, transportation, medical measures, economic programs, and cultural programs, Gyeongbuk Province plans to strengthen relationships with APEC member country officials, global companies, and international publicity by appointing five international relations experts, including former Ambassador to the U.S. Lee Tae-sik, as special advisory committee members.
Governor Lee Cheol-woo of Gyeongbuk said, “Central government officials who came for on-site inspections have praised the flawless preparation posture shown by Gyeongbuk Province and Gyeongju City so far,” adding, “Just as the 1988 Olympics ended the Cold War era internationally and led South Korea to become a developed country, the 2025 APEC Summit will open the path to peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia and make South Korea a top-tier nation.”
The governor also urged, “All preparations for hosting the best-ever summit are progressing smoothly, so I ask more foreigners and businesspeople to visit Gyeongju this fall.”
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