Gyeongju Declaration cements Korea’s leadership amid US-China rivalry

Korea emerged as a diplomatic leader as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies concluded the landmark event in the historic city of Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, by adopting the Gyeongju Declaration. The summit’s outcome not only solidified Korea’s stature as a regional power broker, but also set the tone for international cooperation amid an intensifying U.S.-China rivalry and the rise of protectionism around the world. Korea, as host of the 2025 APEC summit, successfully steered the Gyeongju Declaration to completion, notably achieving a consensus to include artificial intelligence (AI) and demographic changes as central pillars of future Asia-Pacific economic cooperation. For President Lee Jae Myung, it was the passing of a major test. He led a week of high-stakes negotiations and successfully navigated uncertainty to broker consensus among 21 member economies. He also led efforts to secure a trade agreement in the long-running tariff dispute with Washington. Central to the summit was Korea’s success in brokering the joint declaration, framed around the 2Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times