According to the “2025 International Meetings Statistics Report” (No. 67) recently released by the Union of International Associations (UIA), South Korea hosted 491 international conferences last year, ranking second in the world behind the United States (665). The UIA compiled the rankings based on 9,281 international conferences held over the past year in 1,445 cities across 173 countries worldwide.
This marks the first time in 10 years—since 2015—that South Korea, which once held the title of “world No. 1” (in 2017), has risen to second place. With the number of conferences hosted increasing by 95 from 396 in 2024, South Korea climbed four spots from sixth place and reclaimed the “No. 1 in Asia” title—which it had ceded to Japan in 2022—for the first time in three years.
Seoul maintained its position as “No. 3 in the world” for the second consecutive year, trailing only Vienna (345 events) and Brussels (329 events). Having claimed the title of “No. 1 in Asia” for the first time ever in 2024, Seoul widened the gap with its “archrival,” Tokyo, to 216 events—an increase of 15 events. Tokyo recorded 156 events—a decrease of 22 from 2024—and slipped from fourth to fifth place.
Founded in 1907, the UIA is an international organization with 46,272 member international organizations, associations, and groups worldwide. Together with the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), it is one of the two leading international organizations in the field of international conferences (conventions), compiling annual data on international conference performance and publishing rankings by country and city. Prior to the UIA rankings, in the rankings released by the ICCA last May, South Korea ranked 12th globally (286 events), and Seoul ranked 9th (121 events).
South Korea’s rise in the rankings was driven by 34 cities outside of Seoul. The number of host cities increased from 30 to 35 in just one year—a rise of approximately 17%. This growth rate is more than four times higher than the global average increase in host cities (4%) during the same period. Busan (76 events) and Jeju (41 events) saw increases of about 70–80% over the past year. Daejeon saw a sevenfold surge in the number of events, rising from 4 to 28. Cities such as Goyang, Suwon, Pohang, Gyeongju, and Cheongju also saw their event counts increase by two to as many as ten times.
The share of non-capital region cities—excluding Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi Province—also grew. While the number of host cities in the capital region increased by only one, the non-capital region saw an increase of four, bringing the total to 28. The number of cities hosting 10 or more events rose to five, with Daejeon and Gyeongju joining Busan, Daegu, and Jeju. As a result, the number of events held in non-capital regions surged by nearly 80%, from 120 to 215. The share of non-capital regions in total events also grew from just 35% to 43%. This contrasts with the ICCA rankings, where the number of international conferences held increased by nearly 20% over the same period, but the share of non-capital regions rose by only 2 percentage points, from 41% to 43%.
The difference in the share of non-capital regions between the UIA and ICCA rankings stems from differing criteria for recognizing international conference performance. The UIA recognizes all international conferences held by international organizations, associations, or groups that last one day or longer, regardless of the number of participants. In contrast, the ICCA excludes meetings organized by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or intergovernmental bodies; it only includes in its statistics conferences with at least 50 participants that are held regularly by international organizations, associations, or groups and rotate among three or more countries.
While the UIA does not impose restrictions based on the number of participants or the format of the event, the ICCA considers the event’s scale, frequency, and region. For both the UIA and the ICCA, attracting existing events is essential for improving rankings; however, the UIA also recognizes international conferences it has developed independently as achievements. In terms of attracting and developing international conferences, the UIA’s threshold is significantly lower than that of the ICCA.
Lee Jin-soo, Head of the MICE Planning Team at the Korea Tourism Organization, explained, “In terms of scope, the UIA is broader than the ICCA,” adding, “For small and medium-sized cities outside the capital region, which have relatively limited infrastructure such as conference and accommodation facilities, the UIA offers a lower barrier to entry for attracting or developing international conferences.”
◇ Market Expansion Through High-Value-Added International Conferences
There is a call to strategically utilize UIA and ICCA metrics to advance the international conference industry, a key pillar of MICE. Rather than simply focusing on increasing the number of events hosted, the goal should be to use these metrics as a “growth ladder” for market expansion by simultaneously increasing the number of “high-value-added” international conferences that generate significant ripple effects. There is also advice that now is the time to invest in raising the country’s ranking within ICCA, which hosts numerous high-value-added events with greater recognition and profitability compared to the UIA, which has a relatively low entry threshold. Yoon Eun-ju, a professor in the Department of MICE Planning and Management at Hallym University, emphasized, “The UIA and ICCA are distinctly different organizations—not only in terms of international conference standards but also in their institutional nature, specific activities, objectives, and influence.” She added, “Rather than making a simple comparison on the same level, we must find appropriate ways to utilize them based on our growth stage and goals.”
There are also voices of caution warning against becoming complacent with titles such as “No. 2 in the world” and “No. 1 in Asia.” Oh Seong-hwan, President of the Korea PCO Association, emphasized, “Despite record-high international conference hosting figures, the industry’s foundation remains fragile,” adding, “Strengthening the industry ecosystem is just as important as increasing the number of events hosted.”
