The APEC CEO Summit Korea 2025 held as an official side event of the APEC 2025 Economic Leaders' Week in Gyeongju from October 28 to 31, recorded the largest participation in the event's history.
According to data released on the 25th by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which organized the event, a total of 1,852 business leaders took part this year — an increase of 174 from last year's summit in Peru and 463 more than the 2023 event in the United States.
Including 372 officials from government and the public sector, total attendance reached 2,224. Twelve head-of-state–level leaders also took the stage to share their visions for global economic cooperation.
The summit drew worldwide attention with U.S. President Donald Trump delivering a special opening address and NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang speaking at the closing session. Top executives from many of the world's 50 largest companies by market capitalization — including Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, AWS CEO Matt Garman and Johnson & Johnson CEO Joaquin Duato — were in attendance.
This year's summit expanded to 22 official sessions, featuring 67 speakers over a four-day program. Side events attracted a cumulative 25,420 participants.
The "K-Tech Showcase" drew 11,145 visitors, the "Future-Tech Forum" had 2,270 participants, and the "Wine & Traditional Liquor Fair" drew particularly strong interest with 9,362 attendees.
The summit also delivered significant economic benefits to the region. A joint analysis by KCCI and Deloitte estimated the economic impact at 7.4 trillion won, with 22,000 jobs created or supported.