With just three weeks remaining until the opening of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Incheon Conference, Incheon City is focusing its efforts on preparations to ensure the event's success.
According to the city, from July 26 to August 15, the Songdo Convensia and Yeongjong areas will host the Third Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM3) as well as four ministerial meetings: the Digital Ministers' Meeting, the Food Security Ministers' Meeting, the Women and the Economy Ministers' Meeting, and the High-Level Dialogue on Anti-Corruption. In October, the Finance Ministers' Meeting and the Structural Reform Ministers' Meeting will also take place.
The city expects that, given that around 200 sectoral meetings will be held in Incheon during this period, approximately 5,000 people?including ministerial-level officials from APEC member economies and other national delegations?will visit Incheon.
The Incheon Institute has projected that the regional economic impact of hosting the APEC Incheon Conference will reach 40.9 billion KRW. Of this, local consumption expenditures in accommodation, culture, and tourism are estimated at 12.5 billion KRW, while the induced value-added effect is expected to be 16 billion KRW. The event is also anticipated to create approximately 410 jobs.
To ensure the successful hosting of the APEC Incheon Conference, the city established a dedicated task force led by the Deputy Mayor for Global City Affairs in March and has been building a close cooperative system with relevant organizations.
During the conference, participant-only shuttle buses will operate to enhance transportation convenience, and experiential tourism programs will be offered that connect Incheon's major attractions such as Gaehangjang Street, Songdo, Ganghwa, and Yeongjong. In addition, multilingual guides and volunteers will be stationed at Incheon International Airport, event venues, accommodations, and shuttle buses.
Furthermore, the city is preparing various external cooperation programs?including the operation of an Incheon promotional pavilion, welcome lunches and dinners, and diverse side events?to strengthen its status as a global MICE hub city. Through these efforts, Incheon plans to actively promote its outstanding policies both domestically and internationally, and to expand its influence in the global community.
Kim Youngshin, Director-General of International Cooperation at Incheon City, stated, "Through the APEC meetings, we will widely showcase Incheon's global capabilities and infrastructure," adding, "We will devote all our efforts in the remaining period to ensure the event is thoroughly prepared and successful."
The APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting will be held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, from late October to early November.
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