Just as the 2024 Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit ends in Lima, Peru, the South Korean coastal city of Gyeongju is already gearing up to to host the 2025 gathering, writes Kenny Coyle.
Scheduled to take place from late October to early November 2025 in Gyeongju in South Korea’s North Gyeongsang Province, over 20,000 participants are expected to attend the 2025 APEC Summit and related meetings. Attendees will include governmental leaders and heads of state from the 21 APEC member countries, non-APEC foreign observers, top CEOs and business leaders, sustainability advocates and international media.
The main APEC 2025 venue will be Gyeongju’s 3,500 capacity Hwabaek International Convention Center (HICO). Aside from preparations for the high profile summit itself, the city’s MICE industry will organise multiple large-scale events and meetings, with over 200 related meetings and conferences held across various locations in the city and surrounding area.
South Korea aims to use the event to enhance trade deals, showcase the country’s cultural achievements and heritage, while demonstrating its modern technological base, infrastructure, environmental commitment and strengthen its global diplomatic influence. Korea’s MICE industry believes the event will further raise the country’s international profile.
It has been 20 years since South Korea last held an APEC summit, when it was hosted in the southern port city of Busan in 2005. The first South Korean host venue was Seoul in 1991.
Gyeongju was eventually chosen by the Korean government due to its blend of cultural heritage and modern infrastructure. It beat shortlisted candidates Incheon and Jeju Island.
Photo: Gyeongju booth at Korean MICE Expo 2024, Songdo Convensia, Incheon November 2024
