100 days to APEC: Gyeongju now

[Anchor]

This is the Bomun Tourist Complex in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, viewed from the sky.

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit will be held here for two days starting October 31.

The APEC summit is just 100 days away.

The key agenda items are AI cooperation and responses to demographic changes.

More than 20,000 participants, including leaders from 21 member countries, government delegations, and business representatives, will gather to seek solutions for a sustainable future.

As this is the first major diplomatic event held domestically since the launch of the Lee Jae Myung government, Gyeongju is busy preparing to welcome guests.

The government, which declared K-APEC, has appointed singer G-Dragon as an ambassador and is holding comprehensive review meetings to focus on preparations.

Reporter Seo Ji-young has covered the current situation and remaining tasks.

[Report]

The HICO is located in the Bomun Tourist Complex in Gyeongju.

Its total area is over 32,000 square meters.

This facility, which has one basement level and four above-ground floors, will be the main stage for the APEC leaders.

The conference hall, HICO, is surrounded by banquet halls, a media center, and hotels, all within a 20-minute drive.

The accommodations for the leaders are also undergoing renovations.

They feature a modern reinterpretation of traditional Gyeongju architectural styles.

[Hyun Young-seok/General Manager of 'R' Hotel: "Each space is designed with characteristics such as using granite or Eastern-style wooden materials."]

What you are currently seeing is the media center.

The current completion rate is 55%, and there are plans to finish it by early September by utilizing all available resources.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, who is inspecting the Gyeongju site weekly, urged everyone not to let their guard down during the preparation process.

[Kim Min-seok/Prime Minister: "The APEC preparation balance sheet inherited by the new government is inadequate, success is uncertain, and time is tight. However, we have no alternative but to succeed."]

The core agenda of APEC includes AI cooperation and responses to demographic changes, aiming to leverage AI as a growth engine and seek solutions for low birth rates and an aging population.

Singer G-Dragon has been appointed as an ambassador and is expected to play a leading role in raising international interest in APEC.

[Kim Sang-cheol/Head of Gyeongbuk APEC Preparation Support Team: "We plan to create a second Korean Wave in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, and lay the foundation for Gyeongju to become one of the world's top 10 tourist cities."]

President Lee Jae Myung recently sent invitation letters to the leaders of 20 countries, and if the leaders of the United States and China attend, Gyeongju is expected to become a central stage for global diplomacy.

This is KBS News, Seo Ji-young.