The 2025 APEC CEO Summit, held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, from Oct. 28-31, was the biggest in the event’s history, drawing record numbers of attendees and programs, while delivering a significant boost to the local economy, the host Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Tuesday.
A total of 2,224 people took part in the summit hosted by the KCCI, the nation’s largest business lobby. From the business community alone, 1,852 executives from 713 companies attended, surpassing last year’s meeting in Peru by 200 participants and the 2023 US edition by 460.
The forum featured 12 heads of state and government leaders from APEC economies, as well as 67 business leaders on stage. It included a special address by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and US President Donald Trump, along with RM, rapper and singer of BTS, and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang.
Chief executives from some of the world’s largest companies also delivered keynote speeches, including Jane Fraser of Citigroup, Matt Garman of Amazon Web Services and Joaquin Duato of Johnson & Johnson.
The summit generated significant economic benefits to the host city of Gyeongju. According to a joint analysis by the KCCI and Deloitte, the total economic impact of the APEC events is estimated at 7.4 trillion won ($5.02 billion)
Local tourism also saw a significant lift. According to figures from Gyeongju and the Korea Tourism Organization. The historic city welcomed 5.896 million visitors from October 1 through November 4, marking a 22.8 percent increase compared to the previous year. Foreign national visitors jumped 35.6 percent year-on-year to 206,602.
Social media engagement was strong as well, the KCCI said. From Oct. 27 to Nov. 2, mentions of the APEC CEO Summit across major platforms, including Instagram, X, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook, topped 300,000, with total impressions reaching 1.1 billion and user interactions estimated at around 4 million.
In a closing address, KCCI Chair Chey Tae-won, who also heads SK Group, stressed that global leaders had come together to explore directions for “solidarity, cooperation and innovation, and to devise practical solutions.”
He highlighted that the APEC summit is not just a forum for discussion but a platform for action and implementation, vowing to strengthen global economic resilience and inclusiveness through follow-up collaborative projects.
Lee Seong-woo, head of the APEC CEO Summit Organizing Committee at the KCCI, echoed the call.
“The KCCI will continue follow-up programs based on linkages with APEC member economies, global companies and industry leaders, including joint projects, technology partnership and expanded investment.”
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