Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won makes a thumbs-up gesture during the 2024 APEC CEO Summit at the Grand National Theater in Lima, Peru, Friday (local time), to introduce the theme of next year's event in Korea. Yonhap

Around 1,000 business leaders at the 2024 APEC CEO Summit in Lima, Peru, gave a thumbs-up gesture on Friday (local time) to show their commitment to participating in next year's event, which will be held in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, according to the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) Sunday.

The KCCI said that they made the gesture as its chairman, who took over the chairmanship of the APEC CEO Summit, introduced the theme of next year's event: "Bridge, Business, Beyond."

"These words start with ‘B,' ‘B,' ‘B,' but does the acronym ‘BBB' ring a bell? Probably not right now," KCCI and SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said after Peru's Intercorp CEO Fernando Zavala handed over his gavel.

"When you write it in lowercase — ‘bbb' — it looks like three thumbs-up! Not only one thumbs-up, not double, but a triple thumbs-up. So remember triple thumbs-up. That's our theme."

Chey noted that the private sector will "bridge" diverse societies while "businesses" play critical roles in this journey, leading humanity "beyond" the challenges of today.

"'Bridge, Business, Beyond' should be much more than just thumbs-up. They must be practical tools that bring together the 21 APEC economies to identify and drive our innovation priorities," the KCCI chairman said.

He vowed to make the event a valuable platform where businesspeople exchange ideas, address common challenges and align on technology and sustainability goals.

"Together, we should set the stage for mutual growth and maximize each of our strengths and knowledge. We will make progress through technological innovation, sustainability and inclusive growth," Chey said.

This year's APEC CEO Summit held under the theme of "People, Business, Prosperity" also enabled global business leaders to discuss various topics ranging from climate change to artificial intelligence, digital health care and financial inclusion.

President Yoon Suk Yeol and Peruvian President Dina Boluarte attended the ceremony for the handover of the APEC CEO Summit chairmanship, along with Chey and members of the APEC Business Advisory Council, including HS Hyosung Vice Chairman Cho Hyun-sang, Kolon Vice Chairman Lee Kyu-ho and Megazone Cloud CEO Lee Joo-wan.