KB News Desk
The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Herald Media Group signed a media partnership agreement Tuesday for the Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business 2026, which will bring senior German and Asia-Pacific political and business leaders to Seoul in October.
Also known as APK, the event is a biennial platform for German business engagement with the Asia-Pacific region, last held in New Delhi in 2024. The 2026 conference is jointly organized by German government and business organizations, with the KGCCI — Korea’s second-largest foreign chamber with about 500 members — serving as local host.
KGCCI President and CEO Marie Antonia von Schonburg and Herald Media Group CEO Choi Jin-young signed an agreement naming Herald Media Group as the official local media partner for the 19th edition of the biennial conference.
The conference is scheduled for Oct. 29-31 at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas in Seoul.
The Seoul gathering comes as German companies recalibrate their Asia-Pacific strategies amid geopolitical and trade uncertainty, with South Korea gaining importance as a technology, manufacturing and supply-chain partner.
According to the KGCCI, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is among the featured speakers, alongside German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche and Siemens President and CEO Roland Busch, who chairs the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business. Reiche and Busch are co-chairs of APK 2026.
“Bringing APK back to Seoul provides an important opportunity to connect German and Asia-Pacific business leaders at a time of profound economic and technological transformation,” von Schonburg said.
She said German companies increasingly see Korea not only as a market, but also as a partner in research and development and global supply chains, pointing to growing integration between the two economies.
Korea is a major producer of semiconductors and batteries and has been expanding investment in artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing — sectors that overlap with German efforts to strengthen industrial competitiveness and diversify supply chains.
APK 2026 will address geopolitical and trade shifts, industrial AI and manufacturing, supply-chain resilience, raw materials and the circular economy, industrial policy and corporate financing amid geopolitical risks.
Under the media partnership, Herald Media Group will provide coverage in Korean and English through Herald Business and The Korea Herald before, during and after the conference. Coverage will include interviews with business leaders, keynote speakers and other participants, while KGCCI will facilitate media access and interview opportunities.
Choi said the media group’s Korean- and English-language platforms will help extend the conference’s reach among Korean businesses and international readers.
“Herald would like to connect Korean and German companies and play a role in the exchange of information,” Choi said.
The Seoul gathering will give German and Asia-Pacific executives and policymakers a forum to discuss investment and industrial cooperation at a time when companies are reassessing supply chains and investment strategies amid geopolitical tensions and changes in the global trading system.
