The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister CHAE Hwi-young, MCST), in partnership with the Korean Foundation for International Cultural Exchange (President Park Chang-sik, KOFICE), hosted the Youth Forum on Cultural and Creative Industries Exchange under the theme “Culture, Connecting the World” on October 27 (Monday) at the Modu Art Theater. This event was organized ahead of the upcoming 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Gyeongju, with the aim to explore the economic value of the cultural industry and to discuss future strategies to be led by the younger generation to further enhance collaboration within the cultural sector. MCST First Vice Minister Kim Young-soo attended the forum to hear the voices of the young people of APEC member economies concerning the cultural industry.

Presentations from Mark Tetto of  Non Summit and original web-novel author Lee Nak-jun of The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call series

In the first session, television personality and entrepreneur Mark Tetto and author Lee Nak-jun of the original web novel Trauma Center: Golden Hour, which inspired the Netflix series, engaged in a dialogue under the theme “Korean Culture, Connecting with the World,” where the Korean culture-loving collector Tetto and creator of compelling stories Lee talked about the global appeal of K-culture. This was followed by a presentation by Professor Choi Gyeong-gyu of Dongguk University, Department of Business Administration (4th President of the APEC Studies Association of Korea), under the theme “The Value of the Cultural Industry and Institutionalization of APEC Cultural Industries.” Professor Choi examined new links between the cultural and creative industries and cultural influence (soft power), in addition to  highlighting the significance of the first-ever APEC High-Level Dialogue on the Cultural and Creative Industries and reviewing the directions for international cooperation in cultural industries. Chengyu Xiong, former professor in the Department of Communication, Tsinghua University, presented an analysis on the current trends and future growth potential of the cultural industries under the theme, “The Cultural and Creative Industries as a New Engine for Economic Growth.

In the second session, First Vice Minister Kim Young-soo held a dialogue with youth representatives from APEC economies. Moderated by Christian Burgos (Mexico), a TV personality known for his appearance on JTBC’s Non Summit, the discussion included young participants from Korea, China, Vietnam, and Malaysia, alongside media personalities Saori Fujimoto (Japan) and Terris Brown (United States). Together, they shared firsthand experiences and insights on the cultural industry and K-culture seen from the perspectives of the next generation.