Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young and BBB Korea CEO Lee Hui-su on July 14 take a photo at the signing of a business agreement on interpretation support at Gyeongju City Hall in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. (Gyeongju City Hall)

By Charles Audouin

Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, the host city of this year's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit that starts in October, will offer a real-time interpretation system during the event period.

This is expected to greatly alleviate the language barrier for summit participants and foreign tourists.

Gyeongju City Hall on July 14 announced its signing of a business agreement on the service with BBB Korea, a nongovernmental organization in language and culture, at the municipal government building.

Both sides will offer real-time interpretation service both in and out of the summit's venues over a designated period.

The phone service will feature direct interpretation from live staff, unlike apps using artificial intelligence. This 24-hour service will be available in 20 languages with free immediate access by downloading the relevant smartphone app.

A city official said, "We are promoting and offering on-site education so that the interpretation service is available not only at conference venues, but also places frequented by foreign tourists such as taxis, restaurants, lodging and tourism information centers."

caudouin@korea.kr