From AI Creation to Cultural Heritage Applications: World Gyeongju Forum 2026 to Be Held on 8–9

[Financial News] An international forum discussing the protection of creators in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and the industrial use of local cultural heritage will be held in Gyeongju. The event will serve as a venue for developing concrete follow-up discussions on culture from last year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Gyeongju Summit.
According to MCST on the 6th, World Gyeongju Forum 2026 will take place on the 8th and 9th at HICO in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. The event is jointly organized by MCST, the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (KOFICE), North Gyeongsang Province and Gyeongju, with some 700 experts from Korea and abroad expected to attend. Its theme is "Global Transition, Shared Prosperity and Shared Growth Led by Culture."
The keynote speeches on the 8th will be delivered by Pier Luigi Sacco, a professor at the University of Chieti-Pescara “G. d’Annunzio” in Italy, and Andy Pratt, an emeritus professor at City St George’s, University of London, in the United Kingdom. They will examine Korea’s leadership in the cultural and creative industries and the challenges of achieving shared prosperity through links between culture and industry.
The two speakers will later join Kim Yun-ji, president of the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), and Ji-eun Cho, head of the Korean Studies Centre at the University of Oxford, for a special conversation on international cooperation.
Panel discussions will continue on the 9th across four sessions: cultural and creative industries and youth; local and global; digital and AI; and history and culture. In the morning, Jason Bevan, former head of development at Warner Bros. Pictures, and others will discuss talent exchanges, while Tae-Sung Choi, a Korean history instructor, and others will address the international branding of local historical and cultural assets.
In the afternoon digital and AI session, Professor Lee Kyo-gu of Seoul National University and others will examine AI-assisted creation and systems for protecting rights. The history and culture session will share examples of combining traditional crafts with modern technology and connecting cultural heritage to the design industry.
A key feature of the discussions is their focus on opportunities for youth participation and creators’ rights alongside the expansion of the cultural industries. The main question is whether proposals on talent exchanges and the use of cultural heritage will lead to actual cooperative projects.
During the event, special sessions including the Third East Asia–Latin America Cooperation Forum Cultural Cities Network Meeting will be held, along with eight collaborative programs, including the ASEAN-Korea Sustainable Innovation Program.
Side events such as a robotics exhibition, a traditional tea culture experience and special performances will also be held. The forum is open to everyone.
Choi Hwi-young, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will attend the opening ceremony at 1:30 p.m. on the 8th. Choi said, "I hope this will be an occasion to set a new milestone for shared prosperity spanning culture and industry, as well as countries and generations."
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