Minister Yoon In-chon Reviews Progress in Cultural Sector at 'APEC Summit'

On the 28th, Yoon In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced that to ensure the successful hosting of the '2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit' and to elevate Korea's cultural status, the Ministry, together with related organizations including the APEC Preparatory Planning Team (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the Cultural Heritage Administration, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Gyeongju City, Korea Tourism Organization, Korea Creative Content Agency, and Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, will review the progress of cultural initiatives for the APEC Summit.

This year's APEC Summit will be held in late October in Gyeongju, the thousand-year-old capital. During the summit, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism plans to hold special cultural events showcasing the essence of Korean culture to the world, including ▲a special exhibition of Silla gold crowns at the National Gyeongju Museum (October?November), ▲a K-Content festival blending Korea's advanced technology with Gyeongju's historical and cultural content (September?November), and ▲an exhibition of Korean art and crafts (July?December). Among these, the special exhibition of Silla gold crowns is particularly notable as it brings together five Silla gold crowns in one place for the first time in 100 years since their discovery.

Minister Yoon In-chon [Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism] Yonhap News Agency

The Ministry will also operate a 'Korea Tourism Promotion Pavilion' and experiential promotional tours (fam tours) to introduce attractive Korean tourism content to approximately 20,000 APEC Summit participants. Leveraging the APEC Summit, the Ministry will attract high-value MICE tourists by supporting cultural and tourism programs for corporate meetings and incentive travel participants visiting Gyeongbuk and Gyeongju through the 'MICE Plus Support Project.' Furthermore, even after the APEC Summit, the Ministry plans to continuously collaborate with related organizations to develop diverse tourism content and provide high-quality tourism services to encourage participants to revisit Korea.

Events to build anticipation for the APEC Summit will also be held, including ▲performances based on Silla traditional culture such as Hwarangdo (August?November), ▲traditional performances centered on local and young artists (September?October), ▲tumulus concerts (October), ▲the International Gyeongju History Forum (September), and ▲the World Heritage Festival (September?October). These diverse cultural and tourism events reflecting regional characteristics aim to wish for the successful hosting of the APEC Summit and create a 'Cultural APEC' enjoyed by the public.

Notably, for the first time in APEC history, a 'Cultural Senior Officials’ Dialogue' (August) will be established where culture ministers gather to discuss global cultural agendas, raising expectations for the APEC Summit and promoting cooperation and shared growth through regional culture.

Minister Yoon In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, "Since the theme of the '2025 APEC Summit' is 'A Sustainable Tomorrow We Create Together,' the role of culture in sustainable development and regional shared prosperity is more important than ever. By uniting our cultural capabilities, we will actively cooperate as one team with all related organizations to ensure that this summit becomes a festival of culture not only for the heads of state and delegations but also for our citizens."