Pohang Launches Full-Scale Push to Become a Global Tourism City Ahead of APEC
"APEC 2025 Summit Commemorative Pohang Fireworks Show" to Be Held at Yeongildae Beach on the 29th
With the 2025 APEC Summit approaching, the city of Pohang has officially launched its "Welcoming the World" initiative as it strives to become a global marine culture and tourism city.
By combining cutting-edge technology and art in large-scale marine festivals and K-culture marketing, Pohang is showcasing its appeal to the world. The city is also accelerating efforts to revitalize the local economy by expanding tourism infrastructure and implementing policies to encourage longer stays by visitors.
On the 29th, the "APEC 2025 Summit Commemorative Pohang Fireworks Show" will take place at Yeongildae Beach.
The event will kick off with a "Grand Robotic Performance" and a fireworks and drone art show. On November 1, visitors can enjoy a traditional firework play and a mini fireworks show along the coast of Songdo Beach.
In addition, a variety of marine cultural events will be held in succession, including the "Pohang Steel Art Festival," which will exhibit iron crafts at Yeongildae Beach and Dongbin Culture Warehouse; the "Pohang International Music Festival" at Yeonorangsaeonyeo Theme Park; and the "Marine Gastronomy Festival" at Songdo Beach.
The city plans to use these events to impress the APEC member country delegations and foreign tourists with Pohang's dynamic urban image and the appeal of its marine tourism.
In particular, in partnership with the accommodation platform "NOL," Pohang will offer 1,000 coupons worth 40,000 won each, on a first-come, first-served basis, to guests staying at local pensions and pool villas during the APEC Summit period. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry is also preparing a Pohang tour program for guests of the business-exclusive cruise "Floating Hotel," which operates at Pohang Yeongilman Port.
This response to APEC is an extension of the tourism policies Pohang has recently pursued. Pohang leads summer seaside festival trends with events such as the Songdo Beach Retro Festival and the Summer Waterpong Festival, and has branded regional specialty festivals like the Homigot Korean New Year Sunrise Festival, Pohang International Fireworks Festival, Yeongildae Music & Camping Festa, and Healing Feeling Railroad Forest Night Tour, attracting hundreds of thousands of tourists annually.
True to its slogan, "A City Like a Drama, Pohang," the city is also actively marketing overseas by utilizing K-drama filming locations such as "Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha" and "When the Camellia Blooms." Pohang is accelerating its entry into the Asian market through local promotions in China and Taiwan, influencer invitation fam tours, and travel package sales.
As content combining accommodation, experiences, and night tourism, along with discount promotions, has received strong responses, 160,000 people visited Pohang during the recent Chuseok holiday despite cloudy weather, confirming the potential for extended-stay tourism. Pohang is transforming into a "city where people stay" through regional festivals and improvements to tourism infrastructure.
Mayor Lee Kangdeok stated, "Using APEC as an opportunity, we will showcase Pohang's industrial, cultural, and tourism competitiveness to the world and establish a foundation for sustainable growth through global networks. We will enhance Pohang's city brand value with festivals that citizens and tourists alike can enjoy, and make a leap forward as a global marine culture and tourism city."
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