Gyeongju recommended as 2025 APEC summit host city

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Gyeongju recommended as 2025 APEC summit host city

Published: 21 Jun. 2024, 13:23

LIM JEONG-WON
lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr

Members of the APEC summit host city recommendation committee are seen during a meeting Thursday in this photo provided by the Foreign Ministry. [MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS]

Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang has been recommended as a host city for the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

The host city recommendation committee held a meeting earlier in the day and selected the city as the candidate, the Foreign Ministry said.

Based on discussions and an evaluation, the committee decided by majority vote that Gyeongju, which has contributed to national and regional development and has abundant cultural and tourism resources, is the optimal candidate city.

Known for its well-preserved historic landmarks as the former capital of the ancient Silla kingdom (57 BC-935 AD), the city is a popular tourist destination domestically as well as internationally.

The upcoming APEC summit scheduled for next year will be hosted by Korea for the first time in 20 years since the previous one was held in Busan in 2005. Incheon and Jeju Island were in competition for the nomination.

A separate preparation committee for the summit will confirm the host city based on the suggestion of the recommendation committee later this month.

The recommendation committee previously formed an on-site inspection team and conducted trips according to each candidate city’s site inspection plan.

At the meeting Thursday, the committee members comprehensively reviewed the application forms from the three candidate cities, the reports from the on-site inspection team, matters discussed during previous meetings and the host city selection criteria to make their final decision.

In addition, the committee also decided to recommend a plan to hold major meetings during the summit, such as ministerial-level meetings, in Incheon and Jeju.

Korea plans to hold more than 200 APEC meetings at all levels throughout next year, and will start with an informal meeting of high-level officials at the end of this year.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]