From left, Lee Ji-yoon, deputy director general for international affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Yoon Seong-mee, chair of the 2025 APEC Senior Officials' Meeting; and Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat; attend a press conference at the Hwabaek International Convention Center in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang Province — Korea's preparations to host the APEC summit later this year are progressing smoothly despite the country's ongoing political turmoil, Yoon Seong-mee, chair of the 2025 APEC Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM), said Sunday.

Yoon, who presided over the first SOM in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, which ran for two weeks beginning Feb. 24, said no delegations raised concerns about the country's political situation during her meetings, referring to President Yoon Suk Yeol's short-lived martial law declaration and subsequent impeachment trial.

"There was no delegation asking such a question to me, directly or indirectly," Yoon Seong-mee said during a press conference, in response to a question on whether any foreign delegations expressed concerns about Korea's current political instability.

"As Korea has been a leading democracy for decades, I believe there is an expectation that everything will be settled by the time of the summit," she added.

The SOM serves as a key forum where senior officials from APEC's 21 member economies coordinate major initiatives and priorities ahead of the annual summit.

Throughout the two-week session, which brought together more than 2,000 participants, Yoon held multiple bilateral meetings with delegations from APEC member nations, including the United States, Russia, China, Japan, Peru, Malaysia, Taiwan, Canada, New Zealand, Thailand and Singapore.

The SOM chair said the gathering served as an opportunity to introduce the host city Gyeongju to APEC members ahead of the summit.

"The delegations expressed overall satisfaction with the city's preparations. Participants gave positive feedback on various aspects, including the main venue, nearby facilities and transportation options," Yoon said.

Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat, speaks during a press conference at the Hwabaek International Convention Center in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, Sunday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

The preparatory gathering took place amid South Korea's worsening political crisis with the president undergoing an impeachment trial over his Dec. 3 martial law declaration. In the latest turn of events, the president, who had been in custody for more than a month, was released Saturday following the court's unexpected decision to revoke his detention warrant. The Constitutional Court is expected to deliver its ruling on his impeachment later this month.

Eduardo Pedrosa, executive director of the APEC Secretariat, expressed confidence that the summit would proceed smoothly despite the host nation's political uncertainties, emphasizing that Korea has a "strong team on the substantial side and the logistics as well."

Pedrosa also voiced support for two key initiatives proposed by South Korea during the SOM — artificial intelligence (AI) and demographic shift — as timely discussion points for all APEC member states.

"I'm delighted Korea has really focused its deliverables on artificial intelligence and demographics. The priorities for this year — connect, innovate and prosper — really build on previous sorts of work and initiatives, strengthening the work that we've done in the past, and being creative in coherence," he said.

The AI initiative aims to establish a framework for harnessing the technology's vast potential in an inclusive and sustainable manner. Meanwhile, discussions on demographic shifts, such as declining birthrates and aging populations, focus on turning these challenges into opportunities through collaborative efforts.

According to the foreign ministry, the government plans to develop these initiatives in the coming months, with the aim of producing a detailed document at the APEC summit. The second SOM will take place on Jeju Island in May, followed by a third meeting in Incheon in July.