President Lee Jae-myung and first lady Kim Hea-kyung on the 31st will host a welcome dinner for more than 400 people, including leaders and spouses from 21 member and invited economies visiting Korea to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, as well as global company chief executive officers (CEOs). Singer-actor Cha Eun-woo, who is currently serving on active duty, will emcee, and APEC's official public relations ambassador, singer G-Dragon, dancers Honey J and Leejung, and 11-year-old violinist Kim Yeon-a will present cultural performances.
The dinner will be held in the grand ballroom of Lahan Hotel Gyeongju. A presidential office official said, "With global interest in K-pop and K-culture, Cha Eun-woo is serving as the emcee to promote them."
Before the performances, the dinner will feature dishes developed and curated directly by star chef Edward Lee. Along with Korean food such as vegetable bibimbap using ingredients from Gyeongju and braised short ribs (galbijjim), Western-style desserts such as pie caramel will be served.
After the dinner, a cultural performance with the theme "Journey of Butterfly: Together, We Fly" will follow. Composed of three acts, the performance contains a narrative that continues through ▲ the splendid history of Silla ▲ the present of K-culture ▲ the future symbolized by AI and robot technology. The presidential office explained, "Even in an era of growing uncertainty, we will express the message of 'the sustainable tomorrow we create' through Korea's culture and technology."
In the leaders' lounge, representative cultural heritage of Silla will also be exhibited, including gold leaf with flower and bird patterns excavated from Donggung and Wolji, corner pillars from the Gujeong-dong square tomb, and gold earrings from the Bomun-dong joint burial.
The presidential office said it expects "this official dinner will be a meaningful venue for harmony in Gyeongju, the ancient capital of Silla for a thousand years, where Korea's culture and technology and the will for cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region come together as one."