The place is empty: what mistake did the organizers of the APEC summit make

A Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk flew from Malaysia to South Korea on October 29 to attend the APEC summit. This event is large—scale and important from the point of view of not only regional, but also global geopolitics. The countries of the association have prospects to strengthen cooperation in the field of AI, energy and other areas. The enormous interest in APEC in the world, in particular, is evidenced by the arrival in Gyeongchu of many politicians, including American President Donald Trump. At the same time, he was met by both well-trained police officers and protesters dissatisfied with the actions of the White House. Meanwhile, the city itself made a double impression — it is definitely not a business card of the country, which could enhance the effect of the summit.

How the delegation from the Russian Federation was received in South Korea

A delegation from Russia landed in Busan early on October 29. South Korea is on the list of unfriendly states that actively support sanctions against Russia and Kiev (although not with lethal weapons, as the constitution prohibits this). Nevertheless, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation was met by a guard of honor. At the same time, Seoul's position does not particularly affect the sentiments of citizens — Ukrainian flags are not hung in the country, as in some European or even post-Soviet states, and pickets are not organized against Russian officials.

— There are no strong anti-Russian tendencies on the part of the population here. This can be confirmed by the visa-free regime that South Korea has retained with the Russian Federation after 2022. And cases when Russians are not allowed across the border are rather an exception," an informed source explained to Izvestia.

Moreover, the issue of resuming direct flights remains on the agenda between Moscow and Seoul, although no concrete progress is yet expected on this issue. According to Alexandra Zueva, an expert at the Center for Military-Economic Research at the Institute of World Military Economics and Strategy at the National Research University Higher School of Economics, the anti-Russian factor in this country has now somewhat decreased. But there has been no warming in relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Korea so far. In particular, due to the fact that the leadership of the Republic of Kazakhstan was counting on a rapid negotiation process between Russia and the United States. South Korean political circles, as well as business, have been waiting for this for three years, she stressed. If we do not take into account the relationship between the Republic of Korea and the DPRK, then the main threat to Seoul is not the Russian Federation, but rather China.

— China is one of the main competitors in the traditional industries of the Republic of Kazakhstan: shipbuilding, semiconductors, chips and electronics, automobiles. And for Korea, its export potential is a condition for economic stability. In addition, the Republic of Kazakhstan has chosen the de facto side of the United States in the issues of confrontation in the Asia-Pacific region," Alexandra Zueva added.

Nevertheless, there are prospects for resuming the dialogue between Moscow and Seoul, so it is especially important that the Russian delegation arrived in the Republic of Kazakhstan at the governmental level. Meanwhile, Busan, the second largest city in the Republic of Korea, was not the final destination for the Russian delegation. From there, she went to Gyeongchu, where fewer than 300,000 people live. It was he who was chosen by the local authorities to host the summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum.

APEC opens up new opportunities for Russia

Today is the age of APEC, and the main driver of global development is moving to this region, so Russia's involvement in this format is of great importance for economic, scientific and technological development, said Kim Yong-un, a leading researcher at the ICSA Center for Korean Studies.

For example, in the field of microelectronics, there are the most advanced countries in this group — China, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Artificial intelligence is now being given serious importance. The United States, China and South Korea are at the forefront here. It is important for Russia to develop relations with the APEC countries in these areas. The Russian Federation, for its part, can expand the export of energy resources necessary for the operation of AI, the expert said. In addition, Russia has experience in building small floating nuclear power plants, which is very important for many countries in the region.

The APEC High—level and Top-level Week runs for several days - from October 27 to November 1. The main events will be two plenary sessions. A joint declaration is expected to be adopted as a result.

How Gyeongju hosts the summit

For local residents, holding an event of this magnitude is a historic event. However, there was no sense of celebration in Gyeongju. The tired police officers were only cheered up by Donald Trump's motorcade — their main task was to prevent the presence of pedestrians on the sidewalk during the passage of the American leader's limousine. At the same time, the South Korean law enforcement officers did their job as gallantly as possible: they allowed people to cross the road, and even transferred people themselves a few minutes before the passage of the head of the White House. But they could simply block the way and send them back or force them to hide in the bushes, as was once the case in Turkmenistan. On the other hand, their workload was not so great due to the lack of a mass flow of people. It was more difficult for their colleagues, who had to accompany the protesters with placards saying "No to Trump," "No to America," or "Following the United States, we are following the war."

"We are against Donald Trump's visit to APEC," one of the disgruntled girls tells Izvestia. — Our citizens are being detained in the United States for no reason.

Most likely, she was referring to the arrest of hundreds of Hyundai workers as part of the White House's fight against illegal migration. However, it is definitely impossible to call these rallies large-scale. In total, no more than 20 people participated in the campaign. In addition, just a few meters from this procession, an older man was photographing children with signs saying "USA — Trump — the world." But it was not possible to find out what the message of this action was, given that similar inscriptions were also made in conjunction with Japan and the DPRK.

Anyway, there are many more supporters of the United States in South Korea than there are opponents of the idea of rapprochement between Washington and Seoul. The local authorities understand this, so after his arrival, Trump was awarded the country's highest state award, the Grand Order of Mugunhwa. Trump became the first American president to receive such an honor.

What's wrong with Gyeongju

Overall, the atmosphere in the city seems gloomy. Many South Koreans still wear masks, which is a constant reminder of the coronavirus pandemic. However, it is worth noting that even before covid, these people were active fighters against viruses.

— If a person is sick, then he puts on a mask himself here. Many people are just afraid of getting infected. But there is also an environmental reason — fine dust from China," one of the Russians living in the country tells Izvestia.

Perhaps Gyeongchu was not the best choice for organizing a summit of this level. After Kuala Lumpur, which amazed and inspired during the ASEAN leaders' meeting, the South Korean city seemed to be a provincial settlement, albeit with a rich history - Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient Korean state of Silla.

South Korea is subconsciously associated with progress and modern technology, or at least with extravagant artists of the K-Pop music genre. The country has given the world the largest corporations that create advanced technology and unique solutions of the 21st century, as well as very reliable cars. However, it's hard to find anything futuristic or even just modern in Gyeongju.

As a result, this city only confirms many stereotypes about South Korea. There are a lot of elderly people here, few young people, and almost no children. The Republic of Kazakhstan was previously recognized as a "super-old society", where the proportion of citizens aged 65 and over is 20% of the total population of the country.

— The absence of a large number of people on the street is also related to the work schedule of South Koreans, — said one of the interlocutors.

Despite the fact that the authorities reduced the length of the working week from 68 to 52 hours a few years ago, the country's work ethic imposes obligations on citizens.

— They don't leave their jobs until the boss leaves. On the contrary, they come to work before the boss arrives. In addition, it is customary almost every day to hold small corporate meetings in restaurants and bars after work. That is, family days are just weekends," the source continues. — At the same time, it is interesting to watch how people disperse after gatherings. First, the entire department needs to be supervised, and then they continue according to their status.

South Koreans have been under serious pressure since childhood. According to some reports, the average student starts school at eight in the morning, and can finish around 10 pm. Combined with social inequality, this leads to high suicide rates in the country — 40 cases per day, according to the Korean Suicide Prevention Foundation.

At the same time, social inequality catches the eye of a tourist walking along the streets of Gyeongju: on the one hand, expensive cars drive along the roads, on the other, mostly elderly women collect cardboard boxes, which, apparently, are recycled. South Korea is certainly one of the most advanced economies in the world, but almost 40% of citizens aged 65 and over were below the poverty line in 2023. Therefore, the plot of the most famous South Korean TV series "The Squid Game" may not be very far from the truth — in conditions of inequality and lack of prospects, people sometimes act irrationally.

Against the background of the disorder on the street (a person does not expect to see it here, and therefore garbage bags near houses attract attention) and the generally not the most charming appearance of the city, it is hard to believe that South Korea is considered one of the most developed countries in the world.

"I don't understand why they decided to hold the summit here," says a local girl who, as it turned out, came here from Russia. — South Korea really doesn't look like a very rich country here. But this is not the case everywhere.

But it's relatively quiet here and, apparently, safe. Although the crime rate in the country is already at a very low level. A much bigger problem for newcomers is the lack of knowledge of the Korean language. The locals, despite the close relations of their authorities with the United States, practically do not speak the language of their allies. And this also applies to young people.

As a result, you have to communicate using a translator on your phone. However, even gadgets and artificial intelligence are sometimes unable to cope with the situation — who would have thought that in such a small town the locals would decide to name two hotels the same way. The South Koreans did this, creating additional difficulties for themselves and the guests when checking in. On the other hand, it is necessary to note the responsiveness of the locals, who until the last moment try to help foreigners, and sometimes they are so happy that, smiling, they desperately clap them on the shoulder. Well, if things get to a dead end, Russians living in the country come to the rescue — and there are a lot of them in South Korea, as it turned out.

Gyeongju certainly has its advantages — beautiful landscapes, a rich history of Korean culture and peace. However, this city does not seem to be quite suitable for events of this level. This may have been realized at some point by the organizers themselves, who decided to hold the expected talks between Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Busan.