Скачать или смотреть South Korea's Lee warns against protectionism in speech to APEC summit

(29 Oct 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gyeongju, South Korea - 29 October 2025
1. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung arriving for speech at the opening ceremony of APEC CEO Summit
2. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Lee Jae Myung, South Korean President:
"However, in 2025, the external environment surrounding APEC is quite different from what it was back then. With protectionism and nationalism on the rise, we are in an era where immediate survival is a pressing concern, and terms like cooperation, coexistence, and inclusive growth may sound empty. Nevertheless, it is precisely in such a crisis that the role of APEC, as a platform for solidarity, will shine even more brightly."
3. Wide of Lee
4. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Lee Jae Myung, South Korean President:
"There is a saying, 'A true friend is known in times of adversity.' APEC has proven time and again that mutual trust is the path to mutual prosperity, always standing together in moments of crisis. Even in the face of the unprecedented global pandemic, APEC cooperated to ensure the free movement of medical supplies and essential personnel. It has gathered wisdom for economic recovery together. Twenty years ago, South Korea, which united the will of APEC, once again takes on the role of APEC's chair this year, leading the way for multilateral cooperation to face the current crisis."
5. Audience
6. SOUNDBITE (Korean) Lee Jae Myung, South Korean President:
"In Gyeongju, where you are, stands Cheomseongdae, the oldest astronomical observatory in the east. Just as Cheomseongdae reads the movements of the stars based on data, artificial intelligence will also become an engine of wisdom that, based on data, offers new insights and directions for humanity. South Korea will propose the Artificial Intelligence Initiative at this summit. We hope that the vision of 'AI for All' can establish itself as the 'new normal' for APEC."
7. Audience
8. Lee leaving
STORYLINE:
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has cautioned against what he described as a global surge in protectionism and urged a renewed commitment to international cooperation.

Lee’s speech on Wednesday at a business forum, part of this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meetings in the South Korean city of Gyeongju, came shortly before his planned bilateral summit with Trump.

Since its establishment in 1989, APEC has primarily served as a platform to promote free trade and multilateralism.

But the atmosphere is markedly different at this year’s meetings, coming after US President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs and other highly protectionist measures that have roiled global trade.

“With protectionism and nationalism on the rise, we are in an era where immediate survival is a pressing concern, and terms like cooperation, coexistence, and inclusive growth may sound empty. Nevertheless, it is precisely in such a crisis that the role of APEC, as a platform for solidarity, will shine even more brightly," Lee said.

Lee also said that South Korea plans to propose an artificial intelligence initiative at the APEC summit as AI will become an "engine of wisdom" that, based on data, offers new insights and directions for humanity.

South Korea is hosting this year's APEC summit, as well as APEC CEO summit and its ministerial meeting, in the southern city of Gyeongju this week.

AP video shot by Tian Macleod Ji

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