The 35th meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) took place in Gyeongju, South Korea with 21 member economies seeking to promote free trade and foster economic growth. With the theme of “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow,” APEC 2025 was about different nations connecting, renovating, and focusing.
Some notable figures participating in APEC 2025 include Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Lee Jae Myung. Other foreign representatives from countries such as Canada, Chile, Mexico participated in the conference.
Lotte Hotels & Resorts was responsible for catering the world leaders throughout the conference. Over 300 hospitality specialists and security were dispatched in Lotte Hotel to handle accommodations and operations of the distinguished guests.
“Korea made some interesting diplomatic choices in APEC 2025, especially with their relationship with the US president Donald Trump,” Joseph Kang (11), political enthusiast, said. “Although the decision yielded some benefits, I think that [Korea] spent a large portion of the GDP on the conference.”
Amid the ongoing tariff conflicts with the US, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung discussed the tariff rates and the nuclear submarine of Korea during the APEC 2025.
The negotiation ended with a positive sentiment and led to a recently finalized tariff deal with the US. The public observes that such accomplishments were possible due to the cunning diplomatic tactic of Korea.
Korea bargained a $350 billion investment to the US and titled the Grand Order of Mugunghwa. The Grand Order of Mugunghwa is the most esteemed order that could be provided by Korea. President Trump received it in order to honor his historic Korea-U.S. bilateral relations.
Accompanied with the grand order, offered a model of the golden crown to president Trump. The action stirred controversy among the US due to the notion of king that the golden crown implies. Especially with the on-going No King protest, the diplomacy seems to be both positive and negative. Although Korea benefited from the diplomacy, the impact on the US still remains uncertain.
