Gyeongju City Goes All-Out Preparing for APEC Summit...Transformation of the Millennium-Old Capital

Ahead of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit, Gyeongju City is undertaking a comprehensive urban transformation to elevate the entire city to global standards. As the millennium-old capital Gyeongju prepares to welcome leaders from 21 countries, the entire local community is buzzing with excitement and anticipation.

Comprehensive Urban Infrastructure Overhaul: Achieving Global Standards

Gyeongju City is conducting large-scale infrastructure upgrades to achieve global-standard urban infrastructure leveraging the APEC Summit opportunity. Major road resurfacing throughout Gyeongju city, street tree maintenance, and underground utility projects are underway, with aging buildings that detract from urban aesthetics also receiving facade improvements.

Particularly, major roads connecting Gyeongju Station to APEC Summit main venues are designated 'APEC Roads' receiving intensive management. Roadside landscaping, lighting improvements, and multilingual signage are being implemented, with new decorative lighting installed to create beautiful nighttime scenery.

A Gyeongju City official stated, "The APEC Summit is an excellent opportunity for Gyeongju to showcase itself to the world," adding "We are carefully preparing to harmonize the millennium-old capital's historical value with modern urban infrastructure."

Hotel and Convention Facility Expansion

Accommodation and convention facilities around Gyeongju are being significantly expanded for the APEC Summit. Luxury hotels in the Gyeongju Bomun Complex are undergoing new renovations, with new hotel construction also being pursued.

Gyeongju Hilton Hotel and Lotte Hotel completed major renovations ahead of the APEC Summit, hiring numerous multilingual staff to provide international-standard services. Gyeongju Kolon Hotel and Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Center are also proceeding with facility expansion and modernization.

Gyeongju City expects approximately 5,000+ people including leaders from各国, delegations, press, and security personnel to stay in Gyeongju during the APEC Summit period, securing sufficient accommodation facilities by establishing cooperation systems with nearby Pohang and Ulsan hotels.

Transportation Infrastructure Expansion: Dramatically Improved Accessibility

Transportation infrastructure expansion to dramatically improve accessibility to Gyeongju is progressing rapidly. Dedicated shuttle bus lanes connecting Gyeongju Station and APEC venues are being newly established, with KTX Gyeongju Station platforms and waiting areas undergoing expansion construction.

Gyeongju City is building an intelligent transportation system (ITS) for smooth traffic management during the APEC Summit period. The plan includes minimizing traffic congestion through real-time traffic monitoring, automatic signal control, and vehicle detour guidance.

Additionally, parking spaces around Gyeongju are being significantly expanded. Ten temporary parking lots are being newly established, with existing parking lots near major tourist sites and hotels also undergoing expansion construction.

Cultural Heritage Utilization: Special Program Preparation

Gyeongju City is preparing special cultural events utilizing world cultural heritage sites including Bulguksa Temple, Seokguram Grotto, Cheomseongdae Observatory, and Anapji Pond. Cultural experience programs for APEC participating country leaders include traditional hanbok wearing experiences, Korean traditional tea tasting, and Silla history lectures.

Particularly, Bulguksa and Seokguram will be specially opened for APEC leader visits, with professional cultural commentators preparing to provide explanations in multiple languages including English, Chinese, and Japanese. Additionally, traditional lantern festivals will be held around Cheomseongdae to showcase Gyeongju's nighttime culture to the world.

A Gyeongju City Culture and Tourism Bureau official stated, "Gyeongju's millennium history and cultural heritage are themselves Korea's representative soft power," adding "We will do our utmost to enable APEC leaders to directly experience Gyeongju's cultural heritage and feel the depth of Korean culture."

Local Economic Revitalization Expectations: Job Creation Effects

APEC Summit hosting is also injecting significant vitality into Gyeongju's local economy. Service industry workers in hospitality, food service, tourism, and transportation expect special opportunities, with construction and interior contractors also enjoying booms from infrastructure upgrade demand.

Gyeongju City estimates the APEC Summit preparation process will create approximately 2,000+ jobs. △Hotel and convention personnel △transportation and guidance staff △security and protection personnel △cultural commentators △interpreters and various other fields are experiencing surging personnel demand.

Gyeongju City operates a 'Local Talent Priority Hiring Program' to provide local residents with priority job opportunities, also offering APEC Summit-related job training. Particularly with high demand for multilingual personnel, Gyeongju area university students are gaining good employment opportunities.

Citizen-Participatory Preparation: 'All Gyeongju Citizens are Ambassadors'

Gyeongju City is encouraging active citizen participation for successful APEC Summit hosting. Under the slogan 'All Gyeongju Citizens are APEC Ambassadors,' the city conducts APEC understanding education, foreign language conversation training, and global etiquette education for citizens.

Gyeongju City is also recruiting citizen volunteer groups to secure personnel to guide and assist foreign visitors during the APEC Summit period. Volunteer groups will undertake various roles including tourism guidance, transportation assistance, interpretation support, and cultural event operations.

Gyeongju citizen Kim (45) stated, "The APEC Summit is a historic event where we can feel pride as Gyeongju citizens," adding "All citizens are working hard to show foreign leaders Gyeongju's beauty and Koreans' warm spirit."

MICE City Gyeongju: Sustainable Development Blueprint

Gyeongju City plans not to end the APEC Summit as a one-time event but to develop as a sustainable MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions) city. The strategy is to utilize infrastructure and know-how built through the APEC Summit to attract various international conferences and events in the future.

Gyeongju City already has experience hosting various international events including the Asia Tourism Forum, World Cultural Heritage General Assembly, and International Archaeology Symposium. The APEC Summit is expected to serve as a decisive opportunity for Gyeongju to leap forward as a world-class MICE city.

A Gyeongju City official stated, "After the APEC Summit, Gyeongju will establish itself as both a historical cultural city and international conference hub," adding "Through this, we will realize qualitative advancement of the tourism industry and sustainable growth of the local economy."

We look forward to seeing whether the millennium-old capital Gyeongju can successfully leap forward as a global city through the APEC Summit opportunity, and hope the local community's passion and efforts bear fruit.

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Read the original Korean article: 경주시, APEC 정상회의 준비 총력…천년 고도의 변신