Global Heavyweights, Including Lee Jae-myung and Trump, Gather in Gyeongju... Largest-Ever CEO Summit Opens [Gyeongju APEC]

[Gyeongju (North Gyeongsang Province) – Reporter Cho Eun-hyo]The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit officially opened on the 29th, marking the largest event in its history. Chey Tae-won, Chair of the APEC CEO Summit and Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) as well as SK Group, stated at the Hwarang Hall of Gyeongju Arts Center, "The global economy is facing rapid changes and difficult challenges, and all businesses, including those in artificial intelligence, are at the threshold of a paradigm shift." He emphasized, "This will be a new starting point for the APEC community and for cooperation."
The opening ceremony was attended by President Lee Jae-myung, leaders of major domestic conglomerates, global business figures, and experts. Korean business leaders included Chey Tae-won, Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics, Chung Eui-sun of Hyundai Motor Company, Koo Kwang-mo of LG Group, Shin Dong-bin of Lotte Corporation, Chang In-hwa of POSCO Holdings Inc., Chung Ki-sun of HD Hyundai, Huh Tae-soo of GS Group, Chung Yong-jin of Shinsegae, and Park Jeong-won of Doosan Group. From abroad, attendees included Kevin Hsu of MEBO Group, David Hill of Deloitte, Simon Kahn, Vice President of Google LLC APAC, Matt Garman, CEO of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Jane Fraser, CEO of Citigroup Inc., Anthony Cook, Vice President of Microsoft, Simon Milner, Vice President of Public Policy at Meta Platforms Inc., and Joaquin Duato, CEO of Johnson & Johnson. Also present were Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Jin Roy Ryu, Chairman of The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), Sohn Kyung Shik, Chairman of Korea Enterprises Federation (KEF), Jin-Shik Yun, Chairman of Korea International Trade Association (KITA), Ki-Moon Kim, Chairman of Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ), and James Kim, Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM Korea).
Celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, the APEC CEO Summit is the largest ever in terms of sessions, speakers, and the number of high-level participants. Over 1,700 global business leaders from 21 Asia-Pacific countries and beyond are attending the event, which will run for four days—one day longer than previous years. During this period, more than 70 speakers will participate in 20 sessions focusing on key topics such as AI and semiconductors, carbon neutrality, regional economic integration, finance, and biotechnology.
A series of speeches will be delivered by world leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Luong Cuong, President of Vietnam, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee, Chilean President Gabriel Boric, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr., and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Joseph Carney.
Key speakers for the official sessions include Mathias Cormann, Secretary-General of the OECD, and RM (Kim Nam-joon) of BTS on the 29th. On the 30th, Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will analyze global economic trends and responses.
On the final day, the 31st, Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia Corporation, will conclude the event.
According to analysis by KCCI and Deloitte Consulting, the direct and indirect economic impact of this summit is expected to reach approximately 7.4 trillion won, with job creation estimated at 22,000 positions.
ehcho@fnnews.com Reporter Cho Eun-hyo Reporter