The upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju offers a rare opportunity to rethink the meaning of connectivity in a world increasingly divided by rising self-interest, protectionism and great-power rivalry. Since its elevation from a ministerial gathering to a leaders’ summit in 1993, APEC has served as a cornerstone for promoting free trade and economic cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region. Yet, in recent years, it has attracted less global attention. This relative decline reflects the growing tension between APEC’s founding spirit of open markets and the resurgence of protectionist policies that now dominate the political landscape in many economies.
Against this backdrop, the Gyeongju summit is drawing remarkable international attention. Expectations are particularly high because a potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping may take place during the event. The world’s gaze will naturally focus on what the two leaders discuss regarding the ongoing US-China strategic competition. The tariff war initiated by President Trump has disrupted the global trade order, amplifying interest in how APEC might redefine economic cooperation for the future. The 21 leaders will likely debate whether to restore the traditional free trade system or design a new framework that balances openness with protection. Whichever direction they take, the decisions made in Gyeongju will influence the shape of global commerce and diplomacy for years to come.
Yet this high-stakes debate on trade and power realignment should not overshadow another essential theme: the rediscovery of connectivity in an age of fragmentation. The era of fragmentation is not only the result of tariff wars, revived protectionism and deepening geopolitical rivalries. It also represents the exhaustion of the neoliberal order that has guided the world since the end of the Cold War. The neoliberal model, while fueling unprecedented economic growth, has also widened inequality, deepened social divides and weakened the sense of cooperation among nations. As wealth, power and opportunity have become concentrated, societies have grown increasingly divided — between rich and poor, elites and ordinary people, and even between generations. This division has undermined trust and weakened the human bonds that sustain cooperation. In this fractured environment, reconnecting people — socially, economically and spiritually — has become one of the most urgent challenges facing humanity today.
The Gyeongju APEC summit, with its emphasis on connectivity, is uniquely suited to take up this task. Gyeongju itself is more than a venue; it is a symbol. Once the thousand-year capital of the ancient Silla Kingdom, Gyeongju flourished as one of the hearts of Korean civilization from 57 BC to AD 936. The city’s temples, pagodas and royal tombs — so numerous that Gyeongju is called “a museum without a roof” — bear witness to a sophisticated civilization that valued harmony and balance. These ancient values hold renewed meaning in today’s world. They remind us that civilization advances not only through competition and power but also through understanding, moderation and coexistence. The wisdom and insights inherited from Gyeongju’s past can help heal the wounds of polarization and revive dialogue in our divided era. History, when rediscovered through dialogue between past and present, becomes a living source of guidance. In this sense, Gyeongju is more than a historical relic; it is a reminder that connection — between eras, cultures and ideas — is the essence of human progress.
Equally meaningful is what Gyeongju represents today: a small or medium-sized city home to roughly 250,000 residents. Unlike sprawling megacities, Gyeongju has preserved a sense of calm, peace and cultural integrity. Yet, hosting a major international event like APEC is no small feat for a city of its size. If Gyeongju succeeds, it will demonstrate that smaller cities can play a meaningful role in global diplomacy and that international engagement need not be confined to capitals and megacities. The coexistence and cooperation between large and small urban centers mirror the relationship between major and minor powers in global politics. A successful Gyeongju APEC would embody the principle of mutual complementarity — showing how actors, large and small, can prosper together by drawing on their respective strengths. The Gyeongju experience could therefore serve as a symbolic reminder that inclusiveness, not dominance, is the foundation of a sustainable world order.
The symbolism of Gyeongju also extends to national geography. The Korean Peninsula, and Gyeongju within it, is a bridge between the maritime and continental realms of global power. The maritime powers of our time — led by the United States and its allies across Europe, Asia and Oceania — emphasize open seas, free trade and collective alliances. Continental powers, centered on China and Russia, tend to value hierarchical order, strategic depth and cultural cohesion. Korea, located at the intersection of these two forces, embodies both traditions. It belongs simultaneously to the maritime world of the Pacific Ocean and the continental civilization of Eurasia. This dual identity gives Korea — and by extension Gyeongju — a unique capacity to mediate and connect. If the Gyeongju APEC summit provides a venue where Washington and Beijing can ease tensions and explore a framework for coexistence, it will also reaffirm the peninsula’s enduring role as a bridge between civilizations and competing strategic systems.
Ultimately, the Gyeongju APEC summit can offer more than policy coordination. It can rekindle a spirit of connection — between past and present, between large and small, between land and sea. In an era when the world is fragmented by protectionism, self-interest and strategic distrust, Gyeongju’s message is one of restoration: restoring dialogue, mutual understanding and shared purpose. To realize that promise, active cooperation from all participants is essential — the Korean government, North Gyeongsang Province, Gyeongju City and the delegations from the 21 APEC economies. If they can together rediscover and revive the meaning of connectivity, the summit in Gyeongju may be remembered not only as a diplomatic achievement but as a grateful moment when a small but gorgeous city helped reconnect a divided world, drawing wisdom and inspiration from its storied past.
Wang Son-taek
Wang Son-taek is an adjunct professor at Sogang University. He is a former diplomatic correspondent at YTN and a former research associate at Yeosijae. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. — Ed.
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