Cultural leaders from APEC discuss the economic potential of creative industries in Gyeongju

Home > Culture > Features

Cultural leaders from APEC discuss the economic potential of creative industries in Gyeongju

Published: 27 Aug. 2025, 18:36 Updated: 27 Aug. 2025, 18:42

JIN EUN-SOO
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Participants of APEC 2025 High-Level Dialogue on Cultural and Creative Industries pose for photo in hanbok (Korean traditional clothing) on Aug. 27 in Gyeongju. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang — Cultural leaders from 21 APEC member economies convened in the historic city of Gyeongju this week for the “APEC 2025 High-Level Dialogue on Cultural and Creative Industries,” a three-day ministerial meeting centered on the economic potential of the cultural sector.

It marks the first time that culture has been presented as a stand-alone agenda item at an APEC meeting, reflecting growing recognition of the sector’s role in economic development. The dialogue serves as a precursor to the APEC Summit scheduled for October in the same city.

Under the title "CCI: New Horizons for Prosperity," the summit scheduled from Tuesday to Thursday, comprised sessions on the themes of "Connect," "Innovate" and "Prosper."

"It was the first culture-related event held in the history of APEC," said Korea's Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young, the summit's host, at a news conference held on Wednesday in Gyeongju.

"It is meaningful that the value of the cultural industry was officially recognized within APEC, as was the fact that we started discussing it together with future growth. Holding this event, I realized that a lot of countries have a great interest in Korea's heritage."

Korea's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Chae Hwi-young speaks to the press on Aug. 27. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

Chae also emphasized the role of culture as a strong diplomatic tool.

"Culture is something general. It is something that each country can access most easily and serve as a pathway between countries," he said.

K-pop, movies and dramas were, of course, the principal topics of interest among the foreign delegations, according to Chae, but discussions on traditional culture were also held.

At the end of the sessions on Wednesday, 21 countries adopted a joint statement to recognize the cultural industry as a new catalyst for economic cooperation within APEC, promote the use of AI in content creation and establish a framework for further cultural collaboration.

"Based on the joint statement made today, discussions and cooperation will continue, such as on sharing know-how, exchanging talent and more," the minister said.

The second edition of the dialogue is expected to take place in China next year, coinciding with the 2026 APEC Summit.

A welcome ceremony took place on Tuesday at the Wooyang Museum of Contemporary Art, with 130 cultural industry figures in attendance, including Park Jin-young, COO of JYP Entertainment; Yang Min-suk, CEO of YG Entertainment; and Lee Jae-sang, CEO of HYBE.

Park Jin-young, COO of JYP Entertainment, gives out presentation on K-pop on Aug. 26. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

Park delivered a presentation on the global impact of K-pop. “K-pop is no longer just a music genre. It has become a powerful cultural engine that ignites passion in people around the world,” he said.

Despite being the inaugural edition, the summit drew high-level participation, including Japan's Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Abe Toshiko, Chile's Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Carolina Arredondo Marzan, and Indonesia's Minister of Culture Fadli Zon.

The Hilton Hotel in Gyeongju, which served as the main venue, was curated with Korea’s popular cultural offerings, including personal color diagnosis booths, four-cut photo studios and a media art display featuring Jennie’s music video for ZEN.

At the adjacent Wooyang Museum, organizers curated a display of approximately 40 pieces of merchandise from the National Museum of Korea. The selected items had been flying off the shelves thanks to Netflix's hit animated film, "KPop Demon Hunters."

BY JIN EUN-SOO [[email protected]]