By Diplomacy Journal Lee Kap-soo The Ministry of SMEs and Startups hosted Global Startup Day in Jeju in conjunction with the APEC Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meeting (SMEMM) at the Jeju International Convention Center (ICC JEJU) for two days, from September 3 to September 4, 2025. As one of the sectoral ministerial meetings of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the APEC SMEMM has been held annually since 1994 to discuss issues concerning SMEs, startups, and micro enterprises within the APEC region. This event was organized under the goal of realizing the three core agen
By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee The plenary session of the APEC High-Level Dialogue on Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs), chaired by Minister CHAE Hwi-young of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea, concluded on August 27, 2025, as a resounding success. The plenary session was held in Gyeongju under the theme, “Cultural and Creative Industries: New Horizons for Prosperity.” This inaugural dialogue saw robust attendance from high-level policymakers, including Minister Toshiko Abe of Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology