President Lee Jae Myung on the morning of Oct. 29 gives a speech at the opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit at Gyeongju Arts Center in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. (Office of the President)

By Xu Aiying

The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit officially kicked off on Oct. 29 in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province.

President Lee Jae Myung that morning gave a speech as a special guest speaker at the event's opening ceremony held at Hwarang Hall of Gyeongju Arts Center, saying that as the chair country of APEC, Korea will lead the way in "multilateral cooperation" to face crises.

He noted that talk of cooperation, mutual benefit and inclusive growth can sound hollow in an era when protectionism and nationalism are rising and immediate survival is urgent, but stressed that in times of such crises, APEC's role will shine "even brighter" as a platform for solidarity.

President Lee emphasized "supply chain cooperation" and "artificial intelligence (AI)" as crucial for innovation, expressing hope that the vision of AI for everyone becomes APEC's new normal.

He also announced that Korea will propose an AI initiative at the summit.

RM, the leader of K-pop phenomenon BTS, on Oct. 29 gives a thumbs up after delivering a keynote speech on cultural and creative industries and Korean culture's soft power in the Asia-Pacific region at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit at Gyeongju Arts Center in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. (Yonhap News)

In the afternoon, RM, the leader of K-pop sensation BTS, was also in Gyeongju as the first K-pop singer to deliver a keynote speech at the summit.

"It is a huge honor to be here and to meet all the leaders of APEC here in Korea, where I was born and raised," he said. "I am so proud and excited that this year, for the first time, the cultural industry was chosen as a key agenda for APEC."

"K-pop's shining success is proof that cultural diversity and creativity are the greatest human potential -- a force with no borders, no limits to growth."

He added, "As a creator and an artist of this generation, I would like to use this opportunity to make a request to the leaders and distinguished guests of APEC. There are creators all around the world. Please help them. Give them the financial support so that their own creativity can bloom."

This year's APEC CEO Summit is the largest in its history in the number of sessions, speakers and participating leaders. Starting with U.S. President Donald Trump, heads of state such as Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong will give speeches in that order.

Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang will give the final speech on the afternoon of Oct. 31 before the closing ceremony.

xuaiy@korea.kr