With the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit approaching, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ APEC Preparatory Committee dropped a splashy promo video on Thursday―and it’s already turning heads at home and abroad. The spot stars G-DRAGON, stacks cameos from top-tier K-celebs and even President Lee Jae-myung―and everyone showed up pro bono, waiving appearance fees.
The film comes from director Shin Woo-seok of the boundary-pushing creative collective Dolphiners Films, known for offbeat concepts and rule-breaking execution. Shin set out to sidestep the usual government PSA playbook and deliver the message with a fresh twist.
APEC goodwill ambassador G-DRAGON leads the piece, joined by filmmaker Park Chan-wook, former national soccer star Park Ji-sung, IVE’s JANGWONYOUNG, chef Ahn Sung-jae and DJ Peggy Gou, each taking on playful roles. According to the team, the entire cast participated pro bono to amplify the campaign’s impact.
Shin shared that G-DRAGON squeezed the shoot in right after a New York performance before flying straight to Las Vegas, while Park Chan-wook timed his appearance around a packed promo tour―commitments the director says he deeply appreciated.
The video sprinkles in lighthearted beats, including a moment where G-DRAGON quips to JANGWONYOUNG, “Make way for 2025.” In the final act, after pilots from APEC member countries gather, President Lee Jae-myung makes a surprise cameo as a tarmac marshaller, guiding each nation’s plane into formation behind Korea’s jet.
On casting the president, Shin explained, “As the face of the host nation, I felt President Lee needed to be involved―but I didn’t want to portray him in a heavy-handed, hierarchical way.” He added, “We asked him to play a parking attendant organizing the aircraft. It wasn’t an easy choice, and we’re grateful he said yes.”
Shin said the goal was twofold: to spotlight that the APEC Summit will be held in Gyeongju, and to spark a sense of pride and excitement around a major national event.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)