World Gyeongju Forum on culture-led prosperity to open Oct 8-9 in Gyeongju

The 2026 World Gyeongju Forum will be held on Oct 8-9 at the Hwabaek Convention Center (HICO) in Gyeongju, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said, together with the Korea Foundation for International Cultural Exchange, Gyeongsangbuk-do and Gyeongju City. Yonhap reported that the event is meant to discuss sustainable international cooperation in cultural and creative industries based on the results of last year's Gyeongju APEC summit and its high-level dialogue on the culture industry. Seoul Shinmun, Newsis and Kukmin Ilbo described the forum in similar terms, as continuing APEC's international cooperation results and seeking shared prosperity through culture. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]

The organisers said the theme is “shared prosperity and shared growth led by culture in a time of global transition,” and that the programme consists of four sub-sessions — cultural and creative industries and youth, region and world, digital and artificial intelligence, and history and culture — plus special sessions and eight cooperation programmes. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported, citing Gyeongsangbuk-do, that the forum is being held for the first time, and that as of Oct 5, 25 countries and about 30 domestic and foreign universities had applied to join, with roughly 1,300 people pre-registered for the plenary sessions including the opening and keynotes. Those participation figures appear only in the Kyunghyang report. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]

At the Oct 8 opening, the ministry said Pier Luigi Sacco of Italy's University of G. d'Annunzio Chieti-Pescara is to give a keynote on Korea's emergence as a strategic leader in a multipolar global cultural and creative ecosystem, and Andy Pratt, emeritus professor at City St George's, University of London, on the potential for social and cultural development and economic shared prosperity through linking culture and the cultural and creative industries. Kim Yun-ji, president of the Korea Creative Content Agency, and Cho Ji-eun, director of Oxford's Korean Studies Centre, are to join the keynote speakers in a special dialogue on international cooperation. Culture minister Choe Hwi-young is due to attend the 1:30 pm opening event and welcome participants, the ministry said. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]

On Oct 9, the four sub-sessions are to discuss implementation. According to the ministry, the morning cultural and creative industries and youth session is to include Jason Bevan, former head of development at Warner Bros. Pictures, on shared growth through talent exchange, while the region and world session is to feature Korean history lecturer Choi Tae-sung on turning local historical and cultural assets into international brands. Kyunghyang Shinmun added that Kim Han-sol, who directed the drama “Goryeo-Khitan War,” is to speak in a special session on turning Gyeongsangbuk-do's cultural assets into contemporary content. In the afternoon, the ministry said the digital and AI session is to include Seoul National University professor Lee Kyo-gu on coexistence of creators, industry and institutions, and the history and culture session is to include Pratt on living heritage and a sustainable future. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]

Special sessions and cooperation programmes hosted by government bodies, international organisations and universities are also scheduled over the two days. These include the third FEALAC culture city network meeting hosted by the foreign ministry and Gyeongju City, an APEC first-anniversary seminar and a Korea-ASEAN sustainable innovation programme, the ministry said. Accompanying events include a robotics exhibition on the coexistence of humans and technology, a traditional tea culture event and a special performance prepared by the Gyeongbuk Culture and Tourism Organization. The ministry said the forum is open to anyone and that details are on its official website. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]

Minister Choe said Gyeongju is a city with a thousand years of history and the site of last year's APEC summit, which declared culture a core economic driver for humanity's sustainable future, adding that he expects the forum to produce concrete implementation measures for the Gyeongju Declaration and to set what he called a new milestone for shared prosperity spanning culture and industry, countries and generations. Gyeongsangbuk-do governor Lee Cheol-woo was quoted by Kyunghyang Shinmun as saying he would connect the province's cultural industry with the world through the forum and support Gyeongju's rise as a global cultural city. [ 2 , 3 , 6 ]