SHENZHEN, China, June 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled to be held in Shenzhen, China, in November 2026. Building on this important opportunity, Gather in Shenzhen, an offline event hosted by Telling China’s Story, a program produced by the International Communication Center of Shenzhen Media Group, was held at Hanyang University in Korea from June 9 to 11, 2026.
The Gather in Shenzhen event focused on youth exchange. Through a mix of salon dialogues, collaborative local content creation and an Open Tech pop-up, the event gave Korean youth a closer look at Shenzhen, introduced them to China’s innovation practices, and explored new opportunities in youth development, technological innovation, and economic and trade cooperation between China and Korea. Nearly 500 Korean university students, local content creators and representatives from various sectors took part in the on-site exchanges.
‘Gather in Shenzhen’ Event
At the salon, Chinese and Korean scholars joined representatives from leading Shenzhen tech enterprises for in-depth discussions with Korean students. Topics included coordinated development in the Asia-Pacific region and science & technology cooperation between China and Korea. The discussion was lively, with students raising questions on issues of particular interest to Korean youth, including innovation, entrepreneurship and employment.
In addition, the event featured a special tech pop-up themed Open Tech, with signature showcases such as Huaqiangbei’s “AI Top Eight” and “Guangdong Goods, Global Reach.” A range of Shenzhen-made intelligent manufacturing products representing cutting-edge industry trends were also on display, including AR smart glasses for real-world interaction, translation earbuds designed to break language barriers, futuristic exoskeleton robots and robotic dexterous hands. The exhibits offered a glimpse of Shenzhen’s leading advances in emerging fields such as artificial intelligence, drawing long lines of Korean students eager to try the devices for themselves.
Beyond cutting-edge technology, Shenzhen’s local animation IP Nailoong also resonated with young Korean audiences, drawing a steady stream of visitors for photos throughout the event.
Korean scholars attending the event said that the Gather in Shenzhen event organized by Telling China’s Story had built an accessible and friendly bridge of communication for Korean youth. They noted that the event not only allowed young Koreans to see Shenzhen’s innovation ecosystem and urban appeal, but also helped strengthen the grassroots foundation among young people for people-to-people exchanges, technology and innovation ties, and economic and trade cooperation between China and Korea. Against the backdrop of APEC’s China Year, the event helped broaden two-way channels for Chinese and Korean youth to study, work and pursue entrepreneurship across borders, while encouraging them to help shape a new blueprint for coordinated development in the Asia-Pacific region.
List of salon guests:
- Huang Jing, Distinguished Professor, Shanghai International Studies University
- Guo Rui, Vice Dean, Institute of National Development and Security, Jilin University
- Lee Hee-ok, Professor Emeritus, Sungkyunkwan University;
Honorary Director, Sungkyun Institute of China Studies - Choi Seong-jin, Professor, School of Business, Hanyang University
- Liu Ziyang, Chair Professor, Department of Global Business Kyonggi University;
Director, Korea-China Institute of Economic Development - Go Jae-suk, Director Professor, Sungkyun Humanities Academy;
Professor, University College, Sungkyunkwan University - Lee Byung-chul, Former Corporate EVP, Samsung Electronics;
Visiting Research Fellow, The Sejong Institute - Liu Jian, Product Director, Shenzhen Timekettle Technology Co., Ltd.