Organizers of the APEC summit say they support Chile's decision to cancel the meeting,...as safety comes first.<br />And eyes are now on whether the event can be re-arranged... or whether this will be the first cancelled meeting in APEC's more than 30-year history.<br />Kim Min-ji explains.<br />For the first time in APEC's 31-year history,... a scheduled summit has been called off.<br />Chile's announcement to cancel next month's APEC summit caught many off guard... given that it's such a large-scale event and the fact that heads of states were to attend.<br />The cancellation also puts on hold a series of anticipated sideline meetings between world leaders.<br />In a tweet, the APEC secretariat said the forum supported Chile's decision as the safety and welfare of Chile and APEC members are the top priorities.<br />Without any mention of alternatives for this year,... the tweet said Malaysia will host in 2020.<br />In the past, although not on the same scale,... an ASEAN meeting was postponed by a month in December 2006 in the Philippines due to a natural disaster,... although some suggested that the cancellation was triggered by terror threats.. and anti-government protests at that time.<br />Eyes are on whether the APEC summit will be held at a later date this year... and if so, when and where.<br />It's speculated that organizers could skip a year as it would not be easy to make the necessary arrangements... given that the gathering involves heads of state.<br />Kim Min-ji, Arirang News.<br />
