South Korea gears up for APEC summit in Gyeongju this fall

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok third from left visits the Gyeongju National Museum with other officials on July 11 2025 Yonhap — Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (third from left) looks at an exhibit at a museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province on July 11, 2025. Yonhap

SEOUL, July 16 (AJP) - South Korea is ramping up its preparations for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, scheduled for October in the southern historical city of Gyeongju.

President Lee Jae-myung has sent invitation letters to the leaders of all 20 APEC member countries including Canada, China, Japan, Russia, Viet Nam and the U.S. for the first major multilateral summit since his inauguration early last month, his office said on Wednesday.

Shortly after taking office, Lee reportedly offered a personal invitation to Chinese President Xi Jinping during their first phone conversation.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok is on a two-day visit to Gyeongju this week to inspect key facilities and other venues for the summit, coming shortly after a similar visit last week.

Im Yoon-seo lyseo0330@ajupress.com