Gyeongju: Culture ministers from 20 member economies of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) agreed to recognize the growing role of cultural and creative industries and pledged to continue cooperation in the field, South Korea's culture ministry said. This agreement was outlined in a joint statement adopted at the conclusion of the main session of the three-day APEC 2025 High-level Dialogue on Cultural and Creative Industries in Gyeongju, located 330 kilometers southeast of Seoul. Notably, this was the first ministerial-level gathering focusing on culture since APEC was founded in 1989.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the joint statement highlighted a shared acknowledgment of the economic significance of cultural industries. It called for enhanced promotion of innovation in the creation and distribution of cultural products through the use of digital and artificial intelligence technologies. The meeting was chaired by South Korean Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young and saw participation from around 100 representatives from all APEC member economies except Mexico.
Prior to finalizing the joint statement, participants engaged in three separate sessions under the themes "Connect," "Innovate," and "Prosper." These sessions were designed to explore the future trajectory of global cultural and creative industries. Minister Chae remarked on the significance of the meeting, stating, "It's a significant achievement that, for the first time in APEC's history, the cultural sector was elevated to a core agenda item for economic cooperation." He further emphasized the opportunity to showcase the scalability of cultural content and South Korea's cultural industry capabilities.
The dialogue, which underscores the pivotal role of cultural industries in economic cooperation, is set to continue through Thursday in Gyeongju.