Korea ranked second worldwide in the number of international meetings hosted, according to the "2025 International Meetings Statistics Report" recently released by the Union of International Associations (UIA), the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday.
According to the UIA, a total of 9,281 international meetings were held in 1,445 cities worldwide during 2025. Korea hosted 491 of them, achieving second place globally. Its global market share also rose to 5.29 percent in 2025 from 3.87 percent in 2024.
In the city rankings, Seoul ranked third globally and first in Asia with 216 meetings, following Vienna, Austria (1st, 345 meetings) and Brussels, Belgium (2nd, 329 meetings). Busan ranked 22nd worldwide and Incheon 42nd.
Compared with the previous year, the number of international meetings held in non-capital regions rose sharply (up 93) and their share increased (up 8.6 percent). The number of cities hosting 10 or more international meetings also grew from five to eight.
The five international meeting cities in 2024 were Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Jeju and Daegu, with Daejeon, Gyeongju and Goyang added in 2025.
"This achievement, coupled with the successful hosting of last year's APEC summit, is the result of a gradual recovery in global demand for international meetings and active efforts to attract and host international events," the ministry said. "It carries great significance in showing that Korea's international meetings industry has entered a full-fledged growth trajectory, while once again demonstrating its competitiveness as a global powerhouse in hosting international meetings."
