(c) Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The Korean government participated in the first Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Senior Officials' Meeting of 2026 to discuss the succession and further development of the achievements from the previous year's summit.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 2026 APEC 1st Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM1) and related meetings were held in Guangzhou, China, from February 1 to 10. The Senior Officials' Meeting is a high-level consultative body that discusses cooperation issues among APEC members, reporting its findings to the Leaders' Meeting and the Ministerial Meeting through several sessions held throughout the year.

The Korean delegation, led by Park Jong-han, Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended major committees, including the Committee on Trade and Investment, the SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation, the Economic Committee, and the Budget and Management Committee, to consult on producing tangible outcomes for APEC 2026.

As the host of the previous year, the delegation expressed its support for the successful hosting of APEC 2026 and stated its commitment to ensuring that the key achievements of the 2025 Summit are faithfully carried over and developed during this year's discussions.

During this meeting, China introduced the theme for APEC 2026: “Building an Asia-Pacific Community for Common Prosperity: Openness, Innovation, and Cooperation.” China also outlined plans to hold various ministerial meetings and high-level dialogues in fields such as trade, digital/AI, and transportation. Furthermore, it explained the direction of major projects, including the promotion of a "Digital Week" to foster cooperation in digital and innovation sectors.

As these discussions will lead to the outcomes of the Leaders' Meeting in November, the government plans to actively participate to ensure that the primary achievements of the 2025 Summit are reflected throughout the entire APEC process this year.

During the meeting period, Deputy Minister Park held bilateral meetings with key members, including China, Japan, Canada, and Vietnam, to exchange views on this year’s APEC priorities, core deliverables, follow-up measures to the summit, and the direction for reviewing and amending the Aotearoa Plan of Action.

Additionally, as the previous year's chair, South Korea has taken on the chairmanship of the Budget and Management Committee (BMC), which oversees the APEC budget this year. Lee Ji-yun, Deputy Director-General for International Economic Affairs, presided over the first BMC meeting.

Starting with this meeting, APEC members will continue consultations for sustainable economic growth and regional integration in the Asia-Pacific, focusing on the themes and priorities presented by China leading up to the Leaders' Meeting in November.

[Copyright (c) Global Economic Times. All Rights Reserved.]