People Power Party's Lee Dalhee Criticizes Lack of Public Awareness and Insufficient Domestic and International Promotion for Upcoming Gyeongju APEC Summit

People Power Party lawmaker Lee Dalhee (proportional representative) strongly criticized the lack of domestic and international publicity for the APEC Summit and urged the government to strengthen strategic promotion at the pan-government level and proactively respond to agenda diplomacy during the '2025 Gyeongju APEC Summit Support Special Committee' work report held at the National Assembly on June 10.

Addressing Kim Jijun, Director of Planning (APEC Summit Planning and Preparation Team), Lee pointed out the effectiveness of the publicity efforts, saying, "Although most of the content in the work report focuses on domestic promotion, even local media are pointing out that the public is largely unaware that the APEC Summit will be held in Gyeongju this fall."

People Power Party Lee Dalhee

In particular, Lee emphasized, "Given the current state of domestic awareness, the situation is even worse overseas," and stressed, "The government needs to actively promote the symbolic significance and ripple effects of hosting the APEC Summit in Gyeongju to the world."

Lee proposed that overseas Korean Cultural Centers be actively utilized as a key channel for external promotion, adding, "According to data published by the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute in 2023, about 40% of foreigners who visited a Korean Cultural Center in their own country later actually visited Korea," and emphasized, "We must leverage the 30 overseas Korean Cultural Centers operating in countries around the world to raise international interest in the Gyeongju APEC Summit."

Lee also suggested, "Hallyu content such as K-dramas and K-pop did not emerge overnight, but are the result of a long-standing historical and cultural foundation like that of Gyeongju," and proposed, "The upcoming APEC Summit should be used as a strategic promotional opportunity to highlight Gyeongju's historical significance while linking it with nearby advanced industrial cities such as Pohang, Ulsan, and Changwon."

Meanwhile, Lee suggested to Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Inseon, "At the 2023 San Francisco APEC Summit, three non-member countries?Colombia, Fiji, and India?were invited," and proposed, "For the upcoming Gyeongju APEC Summit, countries related to key agendas such as artificial intelligence (AI) should be proactively invited to broaden the scope of global cooperation."

In conclusion, Lee emphasized, "The Gyeongju APEC Summit is not just an international event, but an important opportunity to showcase Korea's identity and future vision to the world," and stressed, "From now on, we must significantly strengthen domestic and international publicity and ensure thorough strategic diplomacy aligned with key agendas."