Hanwha, Drones, Fireworks to Light up Clouds over APEC Gala Dinner

[The Insight] 50,000 Fireworks, 2,000 Drones Set for After-dark Display
Showcasing AI-based Energy Optimization Technology

Hanwha Group, an official sponsor of the 2025 APEC Summit in Gyeongju, is mobilizing the full capabilities of its affiliates to help ensure the successful hosting of the event.

Hanwha will present a fireworks/drone show over the Gala Dinner, the highlight event of the APEC Summit, on Oct. 31. The company has prepared 50,000 fireworks and around 2,000 drones for the show. Hanwha will light up the night sky over Gyeongju by leveraging its experience accumulated over 26 years of hosting the Seoul International Fireworks Festival.

In addition, by combining information and communication technology with aerial and aquatic drones and media art performances, the company aims to express Korea’s identity as a cultural powerhouse that both inherits the thousand-year legacy of Silla and advances toward the future.

Hanwha, as a top-tier sponsor of the APEC CEO Summit, will also host the “Hanwha Future Tech Forum: Defense Industry.” Hanwha Aerospace, Hanwha Systems, and Hanwha Ocean - the group’s three defense affiliates - will introduce the competitiveness of Korea’s arms industry to domestic and international military and defense officials at the Gyeongju National Museum on Oct. 27. The forum will explore the role and cooperation of the defense industry in promoting peace, and discuss future technological developments, including artificial intelligence (AI) in the defense sector and changes in the global battlefield environment.

Hanwha Qcells, the solar energy division of Hanwha Solutions, will be responsible for the keynote speech during the CEO Summit under the theme “Green Energy for Sustainable Growth.”

In the keynote, AI-based energy optimization technology developed in collaboration with Microsoft, using data standardization and agentic AI operation frameworks, will be introduced. Hanwha will also install a kiosk inside the Gyeongju Arts Center, the main venue of the CEO Summit, to present the group’s vision, technologies, and solutions for a sustainable future to APEC participants.

As an official sponsor, Hanwha Group has incorporated the APEC partnership logo into its corporate advertising videos to raise public interest in the event. These promotional videos are being displayed through digital outdoor billboards at Seoul Station, Gyeongju Station, and Gimhae International Airport, which serve as gateways for APEC participants visiting the southeastern city. They are also being shown on the cabin screens of KTX bullet trains, and on LED displays at the CEO Summit and Future Tech Forum venues.