K-pop stars, dancing robot dogs and bamboo flutes take APEC gala dinner by storm

K-pop megastar G-Dragon, right, performs at the APEC summit gala dinner at the Lahan Select hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

 
GYEONGJU, North Gyeongsang — Robot dogs bopping to the soaring tunes of a child prodigy violinist and powerful performances by K-pop megastar G-Dragon and a bamboo flautist brought tech, tempo and tradition to the high-stakes summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Friday.
 
Added to the lineup was singer and actor Cha Eun-woo as MC of the night as world leaders and global CEOs looked on, all the while dining on fusion dishes showcasing regional specialties and ingredients crafted by Korean American celebrity chef Edward Lee.
 
The powerful spectacle that unfolded — stimulating the visual, auditory and gustatory senses — was not a scene out of some fantastical K-drama but the centerpiece of the gala dinner for world leaders, global business executives and other influential figures attending the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
 
Some 400 guests, including leaders and spouses from the 21 APEC member economies, were hosted by Korean President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung at the APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting Gala Dinner at Lahan Select Gyeongju. APEC leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong were joined by heads of Korea’s top conglomerates including Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and Lotte Chairman Shin Dong-bin.
 
The performance was comprised of three acts — the past, present and future — and traced the rich history of the ancient Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.-A.D. 935), the vibrancy of K-culture and the future vision symbolized by AI and robotics, the presidential office said. Gyeongju was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Silla.
 

Violinist Kim Yeon-ah performs with robot dogs from Hyundai Motor-backed Boston Dynamics at the APEC summit gala dinner in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

Violinist Kim Yeon-ah pats a robot dog from Hyundai Motor-backed Boston Dynamics at the APEC summit gala dinner in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

“I never imagined I would be standing here as the emcee,” singer Cha of K-pop boy band Astro said as he introduced the cultural performance titled “Journey of Butterfly: Together, We Fly.”
 
Cha is currently completing his mandatory military service but was chosen to host the APEC welcome banquet after being described as one of the real-life models for Jinu, the leader of the boy band Saja Boys, in Netflix’s hit animated film “Kpop Demon Hunters” by the film’s director Maggie Kang.
 
The “Butterfly Dance” began with a daegeum, or traditional large bamboo flute, performance by Kim Kee-yeub of the National Gugak Center, together with the National Dance Company. Beatbox crew Desire, street dancers Honey J, Leejung and the HolyBang Crew and G-Dragon portrayed a butterfly overcoming fierce winds and storms, symbolizing the search for new order amid the conflicts and inequalities of modern society.
 
G-Dragon of boy band BigBang is the official promotional ambassador for APEC 2025 Korea and made time to perform at the gala amid headlining his third world tour “Übermensch.” At one point, G-dragon donned a black hat inspired by a gat (a traditional Korean male hat), popularized recently by the Saja Boys.
 

Actor and singer Cha Eun-woo hosts the APEC summit gala dinner at the Lahan Select hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

 
Honey J is a dancer of the HolyBang Crew who gained popularity after her appearance on Mnet’s dance-off show “Street Woman Fighter” (2021), as is Leejung, the choreographer-dancer behind Blackpink, Twice and most recently Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters.”
 
But the scene-stealer of the night was quadruped companion robot “Spot” and 11-year-old violinist Kim Yeon-ah, embodying a future of harmony between humans and AI technology.
 
Three black-and-yellow AI-powered robot dogs from Hyundai Motor-backed Boston Dynamics were spotted showing their moves on beat with the lilting tune of HUNTR/X’s hit song “Golden” from “KPop Demon Hunter.” When extending their necks, the robots reached as tall as the young violin-wielding Pied Piper wearing a matching yellow cardigan.
 

Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, chats with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the APEC summit gala dinner at the Lahan Select hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

 
Then the APEC Project Children’s Choir, comprised of 24 children from around the world, sang “Fly as One,” delivering a message of peace and unity.
 
State leaders were seen smiling, some capturing the performances on their smartphones.
 
The gala conveyed APEC’s message of “Building a Sustainable Tomorrow: Connect, Innovate, Prosper,” amid growing global uncertainty, through Korea’s culture and technology, the presidential office said.
 

The dishes served at the APEC gala dinner on Oct. 31 developed by world-renowned Chef Edward Lee featuring a harmonious fusion of Korean and Western cuisine. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

 
The dishes were a collaboration between chef Lee and Lotte Hotel, designed to capture both the traditional flavors and modern sensibilities of Korea, the presidential office said. They highlighted locally sourced ingredients from Gyeongju while showcasing the spirit of unity across the Asia-Pacific region and richness of Korean culinary delights.
 
Appetizers included an assortment of traditional Korean vegetable wraps and chef Lee’s signature crab salad with cured persimmon and pine nut sauce. It was followed by galbijjim (braised beef short ribs) prepared with millennium hanwoo, or premium Korean beef from Gyeongju, a local specialty, with Wando abalone and snowman-shaped rice cake.
 
Next was gondalbinamul (narrow-head ragwort greens) bibimbap, or rice mixed with vegetables, with sundubu (soft tofu) soup served with side dishes of white kimchi, Gyeongju soybean leaf and lotus root stir-fried with perilla seeds.
 

Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong, left, and celebrity chef Edward Lee, who was in charge of the food for the welcome banquet for the APEC summit, attend the gala dinner in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Euisun Chung, right, greets Supreme Court Chief Justice Jo Hee-de at the APEC leaders’ gala dinner in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

 
The meal was capped by a dessert dish — hanyip (bite-size) roasted pine nut pie and doenjang (fermented bean paste) caramel injeolmi (chewy Korean rice cake) — a feast for the tongue and the eye as they were served in elegant jagaeham, a traditional Korean mother-of-pearl box to complement the simplicity of the bite-size treats. Dessert was served with Jirisan chrysanthemum flower tea.
 
The leader’s lounge featured a cultural heritage exhibition to introduce Silla’s ultra-precise metalcraft and a folding screen featuring “Cheonnyeonbaesan,” a 1996 masterpiece by Gyeongju-based artist Park Dae-sung.
 
The leaders’ gift was manpasikjeok, a legendary instrument known as the predecessor of the daegeum, Korea’s traditional bamboo flute, originating from Gyeongju and played in Silla royal court rituals to pray for peace and enduring prosperity.
 
At the banquet, Lee gave a toast with a glass of “tiger yuzu makgeolli,” a Korean traditional rice wine flavored with citron.
 
“The voices of APEC members united in Gyeongju will be reborn as the melody of the manpasikjeok, bringing peace, stability and new prosperity to the Asia-Pacific region,” Lee said.
 

Korean President Lee Jae Myung, fourth from left int the front row, first lady Kim Hea Kyung and world leaders applaud at the gala dinner at a hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

Korean President Lee Jae Myung, first lady Kim Hea Kyung and world leaders applaud at the APEC gala dinner at a hotel in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Oct. 31. [YONHAP]

BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]