Heads of major domestic retail groups are heading to Gyeongju to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit. Not only large retail corporations such as Lotte, Shinsegae, Hyundai Department Store, and Coupang but also food, franchise, and beauty companies will participate as official sponsors to promote the competitiveness of Korean brands, including K-food and K-beauty.
According to the retail industry and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the 26th, Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin, Hyundai Department Store CEO Jeong Ji-young, Coupang CEO Park Dae-joon, and GS Retail CEO Hur Suh-hong will attend the Gyeongju APEC. Amorepacific has also confirmed participation and is coordinating its schedule.
Lotte Group will participate as a sponsor of this APEC CEO Summit. Along with Chairman Shin, Kim Sang-hyun, head of Lotte Retail HQ, Lee Young-jun, head of Chemical Group HQ, and Chung Joon-ho, CEO of Lotte Department Store, are expected to visit the venue. At Shinsegae Group, Chairman Chung and Emart CEO Han Chae-yang are said to be attending.
Hyundai Department Store CEO Jeong Ji-young, GS Retail CEO Hur Suh-hong, Coupang CEO Park Dae-joon, and Lotte Department Store CEO Chung Joon-ho will also attend the "Retail Future Tech Forum (Future Tech Forum)" to be held on the 28th at Wonhwa Hall in Gyeongju Arts Center. This forum is one of the side events of the APEC CEO Summit that runs from the 27th. It will introduce innovation cases of global corporations and digital transformation strategies across six advanced industries, including shipbuilding, defense, retail, AI, virtual currency, and future energy.
Domestic corporations plan to use this event as an opportunity to actively promote their products and technologies on the global stage. At the venue, a "K-food Station" promotional booth and a food truck zone will be operated. Nongshim and Kyochon Chicken will participate to showcase representative K-foods such as ramen and chicken. SPC Paris Baguette will operate a cafeteria at the International Media Center and provide traditional Korean-style bakery products.
KT&G, Coupang, hy, and Maeil Dairies will run promotional campaigns by inserting the official APEC emblem on their product packaging. Lotte Hotel Seoul is preparing the summit dinner in collaboration with chef Edward Lee, and Signiel Busan is in charge of the CEO Summit welcome dinner.
In the beauty sector, Amorepacific will operate a brand experience zone at Hwangnyongwon through the "K-beauty & wellness" session. LG H&H will also open a "The History of Whoo" booth and join the K-beauty promotion. CJ CheilJedang will supply its products to the International Media Center, and Olive Young will provide cosmetics and beauty devices to attendees.