APEC Gyeongju declaration highlights cultural and creative industries as new growth engine

KBS-CMG MOU Expected to Bolster Media Collaboration Across the Asia-Pacific

The 2025 APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting, hosted by the Republic of Korea in the ancient city of Gyeongju - renowned for its thousand-year legacy of the Silla Dynasty - concluded successfully on 1 November 2025. At this historic gathering, leaders of the 21 APEC member economies adopted the Gyeongju Declaration, which explicitly includes for the first time the role and importance of promoting Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) in an official APEC leaders' document.

By recognising the CCIs as a key driver of sustainable and inclusive growth, the Declaration reflects a shared understanding that culture plays a vital role in advancing economic development, enhancing people-to-people connections, and fostering mutual understanding across borders. This new consensus among APEC leaders is also expected to positively influence the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), encouraging deeper solidarity and collaboration among member broadcasters through media exchange and cultural cooperation.

Building on this vision, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS), the nation's primary public service broadcaster, signed a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with China Media Group (CMG) - China's largest integrated media organisation encompassing CCTV, CNR, and CRI - on the occasion of the APEC 2025 Korea meeting.

Under the MOU, the two broadcasters will explore a range of cultural exchange initiatives, including resuming the Korea-China Song Festival, which had been on hold since 2016, organising a performance by the KBS Symphony Orchestra in China, and expanding the "Music Bank World Tour" into the Chinese market. This partnership is expected not only to revitalise cultural exchange between Korea and China but also to contribute to a more vibrant and interconnected Asia-Pacific media ecosystem.

KBS President and CEO Park Jang-beom stated, "This MOU represents a meaningful breakthrough that enables Korea's content - from K-dramas to K-pop - to re-enter the Chinese market in earnest. Through enhanced collaboration among ABU members, we share the recognition that the power of culture can become a new growth engine for the region."