Chairman Chey Tae-won (Yonhap)

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Chey Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and SK Group, has officially assumed the chairmanship of the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, scheduled to be held in Gyeongju, Korea, in October 2025.

Chey received the gavel on Friday in Lima from outgoing Chair Fernando Zavala during the 2024 APEC CEO Summit. In his acceptance speech, Chey introduced the theme for 2025, “BBB,” highlighting the role of “businesses” in “bridging” governments, realities, and aspirations while driving innovation and advancing “beyond” toward a prosperous future for the APEC community.

He highlighted plans to make the summit a collaborative platform for addressing global challenges, envisioning a space where leaders from 21 APEC members would discuss common goals, technological agendas, and innovation strategies.

The 2024 APEC CEO Summit, which was held in Peru over two days starting Thursday, saw over 1,000 CEOs from across the globe participate in the event. Attendees included Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Vietnamese President Luong Cuong. Notable Korean participants included HS Hyosung Vice Chair Cho Hyun-sang, Kolon Vice Chair Lee Kyu-ho, and Megazone Cloud CEO Lee Joo-wan.

The 2024 summit, themed “People, Business, and Prosperity,” featured more than 20 sessions addressing critical topics such as climate change, artificial intelligence, digital health, and inclusive finance.

The APEC CEO Summit is an annual business forum held alongside the APEC Leaders’ Meeting. The 2025 edition will take place in Gyeongju in October of that year, and host KCCI launched a dedicated task force in October 2024.