Prime Minister Kim Minseok: "'K-APEC' Is a Chance to Showcase Korea's Recovery"

Prime Minister Kim Minseok visited Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, on July 11, where preparations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit are in full swing. He urged, "Let us prepare so that 'K-APEC' will be remembered in history with a level of completion that exceeds expectations."

Prime Minister Kim Minseok (center), who is inspecting the preparation status for the Gyeongju APEC Summit, is visiting the Gyeongju National Museum on July 11, 2025. Photo by Yonhap News

On this day in Gyeongju, Prime Minister Kim presided over an on-site meeting to inspect the status of preparations for the APEC Summit. He stated, "This APEC Summit is the best opportunity to show that, after overcoming internal turmoil and normalizing the overall national system, the Republic of Korea has recovered to a level where it can welcome foreigners with the highest cultural sophistication." The meeting was attended by government officials, including Kim Jinah, the Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Head of the APEC Preparatory Planning Group; Yoon Sungmi, Chair of the APEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM); and Kim Jijun, Director of Planning for the APEC Preparatory Planning Group.

Addressing the attendees, Prime Minister Kim said, "Inevitably, the banquet hall and accommodations are not yet fully completed, so preparations are still underway, and there are aspects that cannot be verified in a perfect state." He emphasized, "All of us share the responsibility to meticulously oversee the preparation process." He also added, "It seems that the overall framework will be finalized around the end of August to early September."

Earlier, President Lee Jaemyung issued a 'public directive' regarding APEC to Prime Minister Kim via social media. Through his X (formerly Twitter) account, President Lee wrote to the Prime Minister, "I hope you will closely monitor the progress of infrastructure facilities related to the Gyeongju APEC Summit." Prime Minister Kim replied to the President's post, stating, "I am currently heading to Gyeongju for the first on-site inspection of the APEC venue. I plan to comprehensively assess the situation on site and establish future plans, and I will report to you immediately after today's inspection."