In his welcoming remarks, KOPEC Co-Chairman Chul Chung noted, “Although the details of the agreements from the Korea-U.S. Summit in August have not been disclosed, reports suggest that the discussions on trade were largely positive.” He also stressed that “with Korea hosting this year’s APEC Summit, it is essential to pursue in-depth dialogue toward building a sustainable cooperation framework through additional Korea-U.S. summits as well as meetings with other key Asia-Pacific economies, including China.”

The keynote presentation, titled “Emerging Global Trade Landscape: Prospects for KORUS FTA and APEC 2025”, was delivered by Wendy Cutler, Vice President of the Asia Society Policy Institute and a distinguished U.S. trade expert. She addressed the outlook for the Trump administration’s second-term trade policies, the future of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA), and the upcoming 2025 APEC Summit.

Vice President Cutler highlighted cases of U.S.-EU and U.S.-Japan tariff agreements and discussed their implications for KORUS FTA negotiations. She shared her perspective on the possibility of a return to WTO-centered system. Furthermore, she observed that “unlike in its first term, the Trump 2.0 administration has assembled a highly loyal team to advance trade policies swiftly, while many countries, contrary to expectations, are acquiescing to the U.S.’s unilateral trade arrangements.”

During the Q&A session, participants engaged in rigorous discussions on topics ranging from the differences between EU and Japan trade negotiations to the prospects for a new global trade system and public opinion in Korea shaped by visa issues affecting Korean workers at factories in Georgia. Attendees widely agreed that the APEC Summit in Korea should serve as a platform to deliberate on a new global trade framework amid rising global uncertainties. In particular, participants expressed high expectations for the 2025 APEC Concluding Senior Officials’ Meeting (CSOM), Ministerial Meeting, and Economic Leaders’ Meeting, which are scheduled to take place in Gyeongju from October 27 to November 1. They anticipated that these gatherings would draw the participation of as many leaders as possible to address pressing global issues.

Among the distinguished attendees were former vice minister-level officials, executives from major corporations, and leading domestic experts in economic and trade affairs. Notable participants included: Wonjoon Kim (CEO, Samsung Global Research), Yang-soo Park (President, Sustainable Growth Initiative at KCCI), Innwon Park (Professor Emeritus, Korea University), Kyungjin Song (Country Representative, Asia Foundation Korea), Won-Geun Song (President, Hyundai Economic Research Institute), Wonkyu Shin (Research Fellow, Global Risk Team at FKI), Young Lee (President, Korea Institute of Public Finance), Yongjae Lee (President, International Finance Center), Jukwan Lee (Director, National Center for APEC Studies at KIEP), Taegyu Lee (Head, Global Risk Team at FKI), Sang-Sik Jang (Head, International Trade Research Institute at KITA), Yong Joon Jang (Professor, Kyung Hee University), Byung-il Choi (President, Trade Strategy & Innovation Hub, BKL), and Seokyoung Choi (Senior Advisor, Lee & Ko) (in alphabetical order).

- Title: FKI-KOPEC Breakfast Meeting 2025

- Date & Time: Thursday, September 11, 2025, 07:30-09:00

- Venue: Conference Center, FKI Tower, Seoul

- Co-hosts: Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) Korea Pacific Economic Cooperation Committee (KOPEC), Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) / Korea Economic Research Institute (KERI)

- Contact: Soyoung Kwak, Senior Researcher, National Center for APEC Studies (sykwak@kiep.go.kr)