Interview with Bae Jin-seok, Vice Chairman of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council
【Gyeongju / BCC Global Media】
The APEC Summit to be held in Gyeongju in 2025 is a large-scale international event expected to generate an estimated direct economic impact of 7.4 trillion KRW, create approximately 22,000 jobs, and drive broad spillover effects in tourism and industry revitalization.
As the core of the advanced industrial belt of Korea’s Yeongnam region, Gyeongju is projected to see simultaneous growth in its local industries, traditional culture, and tourism sector through this event. In particular, thanks to the recent influence of K-pop artists such as BTS and G-Dragon (GD), and the global expansion of Korean Wave (Hallyu) content, Gyeongju is being re-evaluated as “the most authentically Korean city” and as a sacred destination for Hallyu culture that attracts visitors from around the world.
In this context, BCC Global Media sat down with Bae Jin-seok, Vice Chair of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council, to hear his vision for Gyeongju’s development, his legislative philosophy, and his view on the city’s next leap forward in the post-APEC era.
“For the happiness of the Gyeongsangbuk-do residents — I am serving my third term in the Provincial Council”
BCC Global Media: To begin, could you briefly introduce yourself?
Vice Chair Bae Jin-seok: I am Bae Jin-seok, Vice Chair of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Council. I am a three-term provincial council member representing Yeongju in North Gyeongsang Province, and I currently serve on the Administrative, Health and Welfare Committee.
I work tirelessly for the development of Gyeongju and North Gyeongsang Province — and, in a broader sense, for the advancement of the Republic of Korea — and for the happiness and well-being of our residents.
“Experience in Seoul’s political scene and at the National Assembly laid the foundation for my work today”
BCC Global Media: You are widely known as a native of Gyeongju. How did growing up in Gyeongju, and later working in the political arena in Seoul, shape your approach to legislative service today?
Vice Chair Bae Jin-seok: I was born and raised in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. I lived in Gyeongju through high school, then went to university in Seoul. I fulfilled my mandatory military service as an Army officer, and after being discharged, I went on to study political science in graduate school — which is how I first came to work with the National Assembly.
I then served for about five years as an aide at the National Assembly, where I learned firsthand how legislation is made, how policy decisions are reached, and how negotiation and compromise take place between ruling and opposition parties. After that, I had the opportunity to work with former Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Moon-soo, serving as a policy adviser at the Gyeonggi Provincial Government from 2008 until early 2013.
The legislative experience at the National Assembly and the administrative experience in Gyeonggi Province have become invaluable assets to my current work. I learned with my own body how politics and administration actually move in the Republic of Korea, and how policy is created and then implemented. That experience is now a major force behind my work as a provincial council member in North Gyeongsang Province.
“Ordinances on nuclear safety, disaster response, and inter-Korean exchange all began from local realities”
BCC Global Media: You are recognized for practical legislative work, including ordinances related to nuclear safety, earthquake and disaster preparedness, and inter-Korean exchange. What was the background for these initiatives?
Vice Chair Bae Jin-seok: Gyeongju is a city where six nuclear power reactors are currently in operation, and it is home to the headquarters of Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power. After experiencing major disasters — the 2016 Gyeongju earthquake and the 2017 Pohang earthquake — we came to deeply understand the critical importance of safety and preparedness.
Based on those experiences, we established ordinances related to nuclear safety and disaster response, and through an ordinance on inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, we created an institutional framework for building peace and facilitating cooperation.
Administration is not confined to a single sector — it must span the full spectrum of people’s everyday lives. A metropolitan/provincial government has to function as a coordinating bridge between local governments at the basic level and the central government, and that role must be supported through ordinances and legislation.
“Hwangnidan-gil is now a symbol of urban innovation born from the creativity of the younger generation”
BCC Global Media: Over the past several years, Gyeongju has emerged as a popular destination among the MZ generation. How do you view the background and significance of that shift?
Vice Chair Bae Jin-seok: Gyeongju was designated Korea’s first-ever Special Tourist Zone, and it was developed around the Bomun Tourism Complex in 1975 under the administration of President Park Chung-hee. However, starting in the 2000s, as school trip–centered tourism declined, the city faced a crisis.
Then, over the past seven to eight years, “Hwangnidan-gil” began to rise as a new hotspot, and Gyeongju re-emerged as a cultural city for the younger generation.
The rise of Hwangnidan-gil was not the result of government planning — it was driven by the creativity of the private sector. Young founders moved into what had been a hollowing-out residential neighborhood, opened visually distinctive cafés and dessert shops, and through social media it became a nationwide destination.
Now, what we need is infrastructure: parking, roads, rest areas, and so on. The government must support this kind of organically generated energy from the private sector. Ultimately, a tourism city is a living organism created jointly by its citizens and its government.
“APEC is the turning point that will open Gyeongju’s next 50 years”
BCC Global Media: How do you interpret the significance of hosting the APEC Summit in Gyeongju?
Vice Chair Bae Jin-seok: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the development of the Bomun Tourism Complex, and in that same year Gyeongju is hosting APEC — which carries powerful historical symbolism. Gyeongju, the city where the ancient kingdom of Silla unified the Three Kingdoms and laid the foundations of what would become Korea, is now stepping onto the world stage as a center of global economic cooperation.
APEC is not just a diplomatic event — it is an unparalleled opportunity to showcase Gyeongju to the entire world. By restoring and reimagining Gyeongju’s boundless historical and cultural assets, we can present them to a global audience.
“We will carry forward the legacy of APEC through the ‘Gyeongju Forum’”
BCC Global Media: In your view, what kind of “post-APEC strategy” should North Gyeongsang Province and the city of Gyeongju be preparing?
Vice Chair Bae Jin-seok: APEC should not be seen as the end — it must be the beginning. We are currently preparing a proposal to institutionalize and hold, on a recurring basis, what we are calling the “Gyeongju Forum.” This would be an annual international forum focused on culture, the economy, and sustainable development, carrying forward the spirit of APEC.
In addition, we need to reprocess and retain, as cultural assets of Gyeongju, the legacy created through APEC — including its content, exhibits, artworks, and other outputs. Rather than simply storing these in an archive, we should continue to display and promote them so that they elevate Gyeongju’s brand value over time.
“A global cultural city built together by citizens and the media”
BCC Global Media: In order for APEC to succeed, what roles do you believe the citizens and the media should play?
Vice Chair Bae Jin-seok: We must ensure that international visitors who come during the event remember Gyeongju as “a city they want to return to.” It is important that every single citizen becomes the face of Gyeongju and presents an image of kindness and dignity.
And the media serves as the eyes and ears of the global public. The media must actively promote Gyeongju’s beauty and potential, and help the city establish itself firmly as a global city of culture and tourism.
“APEC is not only about Gyeongju’s next 50 years — it is the starting line for the next 100. The Provincial Council and the administration will work together to build Gyeongju into Asia’s leading historic and cultural city.”
Reporting: Winston Saehoon Kim, Managing Director / BCC Global Media