Korea to host 2nd APEC Senior Officials’ Meeting on Jeju Island

South Korean Ambassador Yoon Seong-mee, chair of the 2025 APEC Senior Officials Meeting, hosts the first SOM at the Hwabaek International Convention Center in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, March 8. (APEC Secretariat)

South Korea will host the second high-level preparatory meeting for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation on Jeju Island, where it will present detailed plans for advancing discussions on key deliverables such as artificial intelligence cooperation and a joint response to demographic shifts, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul said Tuesday.

The second Senior Officials’ Meeting, a high-level consultative body for discussions among APEC member economies, and related meetings will be held from May 3 to 16, during which more than 3,000 delegates and secretariat personnel are expected to gather on Jeju Island.

The second SOM, to be held on May 13 and 14, will serve as a venue for concrete and detailed discussions, building on the first SOM in March in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province.

During the first SOM, 21 APEC member economies agreed to place cooperation on AI-related issues and co-responses to demographic shifts at the forefront of the agenda — topics that have never before taken center stage at the regional economic forum — and designated them as key deliverables for this year’s APEC summit.

"In particular, the Korean government plans to present detailed content and directions regarding ‘AI cooperation’ and ‘responding to demographic changes’ at the upcoming SOM and related meetings as well as to exchange views with other member economies," the Seoul ministry said. "Through the process, we expect to make progress in producing tangible outcomes for the leaders' summit."

South Korea will host the APEC summit from late October to early November in the historic city of Gyeongju under the theme “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow.” The 2025 APEC will mark South Korea’s first time hosting the event in 20 years since it was last held in Busan in 2005.

Prior to the second SOM, South Korea will host the Ocean-Related Ministerial Meeting in Busan from Wednesday to Thursday, marking the start of this year’s series of sectoral ministerial meetings in connection with this year’s APEC summit, the Foreign Ministry said.

South Korea plans to host 14 sectoral ministerial meetings and high-level dialogues ahead of the APEC summit this year. The South Korean government aims to lead discussions on strengthening regional cooperation and addressing global challenges in each sector, according to the Foreign Ministry in Seoul.

Among them, a total of four ministerial meetings are scheduled for the first half of the year, including those on labor and employment, education and trade, to be held on Jeju Island. Each sectoral meeting aims to adopt a joint ministerial statement outlining specific areas of cooperation.