Gyeongju, South Korea — Gyeongsangbuk-do Province announced on the afternoon of the 7th that it held the "2026 World Gyeongju Forum Vision Declaration Ceremony" at the Vega Hall of the Lahan Hotel Gyeongju. The province declared its ambitious vision to foster the World Gyeongju Forum into South Korea’s representative cultural forum and a global culture-knowledge platform that shapes international cultural agendas.

Held one day before the opening of the 2026 World Gyeongju Forum—co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, and Gyeongju City—the ceremony served to officially announce the launch and future vision of the forum.

Building upon Gyeongju's heightened international profile and legacy following the successful 2025 APEC Summit, the province aims to expand this diplomatic momentum into the cultural sphere, transforming Gyeongju into a new international platform where the world discusses culture and explores the future.

The event gathered around 100 distinguished figures from cultural, academic, and industrial sectors, including Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Cheol-woo, Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nak-young, Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council Chairman Kim Hee-su, Gyeongju City Council Chairman Lim Hwal, and National Assembly Member Kim Seok-ki.

Seeking the Future of "Post-APEC Gyeongju" in Culture

The World Gyeongju Forum is an international cultural forum designed to discover the new future of "Post-APEC Gyeongju" through culture. While the APEC Summit positioned Gyeongju as a global diplomatic stage, Gyeongsangbuk-do envisions the World Gyeongju Forum making Gyeongju the epicenter of global cultural discourse.

Just as the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, discusses major global economic agendas, the World Gyeongju Forum plans to develop into the "Davos of Culture," where the future of global culture is debated.

The ceremony featured an opening address, a screening of a promotional video on the Post-APEC World Gyeongju Forum, a prologue session, a keynote speech, a panel discussion, and a vision declaration.

During the prologue session, Gyeongbuk Institute Research Institute President Yoo Chul-gyun delivered a presentation on the "Significance and Operational Direction of the World Gyeongju Forum." This was followed by a keynote speech by National Museum of Korea Director Yoo Hong-jun entitled "Historic and Cultural City Gyeongju: Why Must It Become a Davos?" He highlighted Gyeongju’s symbolism and potential as a cradle of a thousand years of Silla history and world heritage, serving as a venue for discussing global cultural agendas.

In the subsequent panel discussion—moderated by Jung Jong-sub, President of the Academy of Korean Studies—Director Yoo Hong-jun, Gyeongbuk Culture Foundation President Kim Jae-soo, Gyeonggi University Vice President Ham Sung-deuk, and Jeju Forum Secretariat Director Chun Kyung-jin discussed the topic: "The Path Forward for the World Gyeongju Forum as Korea's Representative Cultural Forum." The panel focused on establishing a stable operational framework, securing sustainable hosting foundations, and developing Gyeongju-specific cultural content to differentiate the forum from existing international events.

Presenting the "Gyeongju Agenda" for Global Cooperation

The vision declaration outlined the core directions of the upcoming "Gyeongju Agenda," which includes:

Fostering the forum as a knowledge and policy platform where global cultural agendas accumulate
Establishing its status as South Korea's representative cultural forum leading global cultural discourse
Inheriting the achievements and legacy of the 2025 APEC Summit through international cultural cooperation
Spreading K-Culture and K-Heritage globally based on Gyeongsangbuk-do’s historical and cultural assets
Building a sustainable global operating system in cooperation with governments, international organizations, academia, and industries

Gyeongsangbuk-do plans to connect this vision directly to tangible international cultural agendas. At the 2026 World Gyeongju Forum, held at the Gyeongju Hwabaek Convention Center (HICO) from the 8th to the 9th, special sessions will be operated under themes such as "The Convergence of AI and Tradition," "Gyeongbuk Cultural Assets as Content Industries," and "From Millennium Silla to the Future: Global Branding of Gyeongbuk’s Historical and Cultural Assets."

Through these sessions, Gyeongsangbuk-do aims to move beyond simple preservation, expanding its historical and cultural assets into new cultural contents, industries, and world-class cultural brands, thereby translating the vision declaration into concrete international agendas.

"Gyeongju, the capital of millennium-old Silla, successfully hosted the APEC Summit and once again leaped forward as a city connected to the world," said Gyeongsangbuk-do Governor Lee Cheol-woo. "Now, Gyeongju will become a new stage where the world discusses not only economy and diplomacy, but also culture and the future." He added, "Gyeongsangbuk-do will take the lead, alongside the government, Gyeongju City, and domestic and international cultural, academic, and industrial sectors, to grow the World Gyeongju Forum into Korea's representative cultural forum and ensure that cultural agendas created in Gyeongju spread across the globe."

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