Copyright nytimes
Cruise ships were leased to serve as makeshift hotels. Foreign delegates and journalists scrambled to reserve rooms amid surging prices. A hall newly built for a gala dinner was ruled unsuitable at the last minute. These logistical headaches have become a backdrop to this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, forum. An estimated 20,000 people — including President Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and chief executives of multinational firms — are headed to Gyeongju, South Korea, for the weeklong event. Member nations rotate in hosting the annual gathering. In June last year, South Korea selected Gyeongju as the venue for its rich cultural heritage, hoping to add it to a list of small cities known for hosting an international gathering. Each January, global leaders flock to Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum. Come August, Jackson Hole, Wyo., attracts bankers from around the world for its namesake symposium. One of the main APEC events at Gyeongju kicks off on Wednesday, when Mr. Trump and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung, are scheduled to meet. Mr. Trump is set to meet Mr. Xi on Thursday, on the sidelines of APEC, but the venue remains unclear. Other APEC attendees include the new prime minister of Japan, Sanae Takaichi, and Jensen Huang, the C.E.O. of the A.I. chip giant Nvidia.
