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As APEC officials descend, Gyeongju transforms into AI hub

Published: 23 Feb. 2025, 17:19 Updated: 23 Feb. 2025, 17:24

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

A volunteer demonstrates how to use an AI-powered translator kiosk at the Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Feb. 23 ahead of the First Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM1) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. [NEWS1]

A visit the Gyeongju Hwabaek International Convention Center (HICO) reveals a blend of the timeless and the new. Outside, workers are busy installing a transparent air dome where taekwondo and traditional Korean clothing will soon be showcased. The interior, however, is a high-tech scene where projectors, avatars and AI abound.

Both areas will set the stage for the First Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM1), which kicks off its two-week run on Monday at the venue in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, ahead of October's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

On Friday, three days before the SOM1 begins, a virtual version of North Gyeongsang Gov. Lee Cheol-woo greets visitors from clusters of kiosks in the lobby of the convention center, which will also serve as one of the APEC summit's main venues.

The kiosks will provide comprehensive guidance to the APEC crowd. The AI that powers them is familiar not only with the center's conference room layout, convenience facilities and event information, but also the major tourist attractions, cultural heritage, restaurants and traffic information of Gyeongju.

It also offers real-time interpretation and translation — which is key, as attendees will hail from 21 different member countries.

The HICO conference room also has a top-level video projector suitable for international conferences. Since APEC advocates a document-less conference, the video quality of conference materials transmitted directly from the conference room is important.

But the center is not all tech: it is also decorated with items that highlight Korean traditional beauty. The transparent air dome will host a number of performances during SOM1, including a circus, martial arts demonstrations, game experiences based on Netflix hit “Squid Game” (2021-) and a fashion show for hanbok, or traditional Korean dress.

The SOM1 is the first large-scale prelude to the upcoming APEC summit and discussions will center around its agenda. Approximately 2,000 people, including representatives of each member country, will hold approximately 100 meetings in 28 conference bodies over the course of the week.

The North Gyeongsang provincial government and Gyeongju city government are doing their best to support each country's delegation, from building conference room infrastructure to transportation, accommodation and medical care.

A detailed transportation plan, for example, is in place to ensure that the delegations can move comfortably to the SOM1 venue after entering Korea. Gimhae Airport and Gyeongju Station are designated transportation hubs for entry and exit, with vehicles running continuously between them, accommodations, the venue and the Bomun Tourist Complex, from 6 a.m. to midnight every day.

A transparent air dome for the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM1) of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit is being installed at the outdoor exhibition hall of the Hwabaek Internationall Convention Center in Gyeongju on Feb. 23. [KIM JUNG-SEOK]

A medical office will also operate inside the HICO from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., with one English-speaking doctor and one nurse on duty. Two ambulances will be on standby to transport patients in need of emergency care, with 10 dedicated cooperative hospitals, including Dongguk University Gyeongju Hospital, Pohang St. Mary's Hospital and Ulsan University Hospital, in operation.

A tour course will allow delegations from each country to explore various parts of Gyeongju beyond the conference hall.

The tour will follow the World Cultural Heritage Course that stops at Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple; the Wolseong District Course that connects the Gyeongju Museum, Cheomseongdae and the Daereungwon Tomb Complex; the Silla Moonlight Course that connects Cheomseongdae, Woljeonggyo Bridge, Donggung and Wolji Pond; the Natural Ecology Course; and the Industrial Tour Course.

“We have put a lot of effort into SOM1, which will open the door to the summit,” said. “We will accelerate the preparations for the remaining period so that the delegation’s meetings, sightseeing, tasting and experiences in Gyeongju will become good memories to all.”

BY KIM JUNG-SEOK, LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]