Minister Choi Hwiyeong Begins Official Duties with On-Site Inspection for APEC Summit

"We Will Make Every Effort for the APEC Cultural Summit"

Choi Hwiyeong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, began his first official schedule by conducting an on-site inspection for the '2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit.'

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that Minister Choi visited Gyeongju, the host city of the 2025 APEC Summit, on July 31, immediately after his inauguration, to carry out an on-site inspection.

Minister Choi, together with Joo Nakyeong, Mayor of Gyeongju, and Kim Sangcheol, Head of the Gyeongsangbuk-do APEC Preparation Support Team, personally toured the summit venue, media center, leaders’ banquet hall, exhibition hall, and the venue for the high-level dialogue on the cultural industry. He checked the status of infrastructure development, reviewed the preparations for cultural content, and examined domestic and international promotional plans. He also visited the special Nam June Paik exhibition being held at the Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art. Minister Choi stated, "I am deeply impressed by how the heritage of Gyeongju, a city with a thousand-year history, is being reinterpreted as contemporary culture through Nam June Paik's video art," and added, "We will make every effort to ensure that this APEC Summit is successfully held as a 'cultural summit' where tradition, technology, art, and innovation resonate together."

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hwee-Young Choi (second from right) visited Gyeongju, the host city of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, on the 1st as his first schedule after taking office to inspect the media center construction site.
Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

Previously, Prime Minister Kim Minseok also visited Gyeongju twice (on the 11th and 16th) within two weeks of his inauguration on July 3, to inspect the APEC Summit site. The government is making every effort to ensure the successful hosting of the APEC Summit. Regarding the APEC Summit response, a conversation between President Lee Jaemyung and Prime Minister Kim Minseok on social networking services (SNS) also drew attention. On July 11, President Lee Jaemyung, through his official Twitter account, asked Prime Minister Kim Minseok to closely monitor the progress of APEC-related infrastructure. In response, Prime Minister Kim stated that he was heading to Gyeongju for an on-site inspection, would comprehensively assess the situation, establish future plans, and report back.

As the government is making an all-out effort for the APEC Summit, Minister Choi’s visit to Gyeongju as his first official schedule demonstrates his commitment to contributing to the successful hosting of the summit. Minister Choi is scheduled to remain in Gyeongju until August 1 to continue his on-site inspections.

Choi Hwiyoung, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism (second from the left), visited Gyeongju, the host city of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, on the 31st of last month as his first official schedule after taking office, to inspect the nighttime landscape development site.
Photo by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated that it will continue to work closely with relevant ministries such as the APEC Summit Preparatory Planning Team (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Gyeongju City to ensure that this summit is thoroughly prepared and remembered as a cultural festival enjoyed and shared not only by the leaders and delegations of each country but also by all Korean citizens.

Meanwhile, at his inauguration ceremony held at the Government Complex Sejong on July 31, Minister Choi declared his intention to open an era of a 300 trillion won K-culture market and 30 million foreign tourists. He also emphasized strengthening the foundations of culture and the arts, creating conditions for all citizens to enjoy culture in their daily lives, and enhancing Korea’s status as a leading sports nation. He stated, "As the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, entrusted with the important task of realizing a nation that leads the world with the power of advanced culture, I feel a great sense of responsibility," and added, "I will lay even firmer stepping stones to further strengthen the potential of our culture."