With both U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping expected to attend, the historic city of Gyeongju is drawing attention as it prepares to host the multilateral gathering from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1.
Recently, Hotel Shilla asked customers to cancel reservations during the period around the summit, suggesting that Xi might stay there during his visit to Seoul and possibly meet with Trump. In mid-September, China reportedly inquired with the hotel about making a booking.
Initially it was expected that the two leaders would stay at separate hotels during the summit, with Trump at Grand Hyatt in Seoul and Hilton in Gyeongju, and Xi considering Hotel Shilla in Seoul and Kolon Hotel in Gyeongju.
But Hotel Shilla later resumed bookings during the period, suggesting possible disagreement in arranging talks between Trump and Xi.
There have been talks of a possible trilateral meeting between the leaders of South Korea, China and the U.S. in Seoul on the sidelines of the APEC summit, but it now remains uncertain as Xi is likely to stay only in Gyeongju.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, "Details about Xi's itinerary here are not finalized," and merely said it supports diplomatic exchanges among APEC members.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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