Minister Jeon Jae-soo of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said he would finish the ministry's transfer to Busan by December and personally oversee the Arctic route task force.
Minister Jeon said this at a press briefing held at the Government Sejong Complex on the 11th, noting, "We will firmly lay the groundwork to build the maritime capital zone."
Earlier, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries secured 86.7 billion won in reserve funds to push for the transfer to Busan within the year and will begin interior construction starting in Oct. It has also worked with the Busan city government and fiscal authorities to prepare measures to support employees' living conditions, including support for key money and monthly rent and the provision of government housing.
Minister Jeon stressed, "We will actively support the timely establishment of institutions such as the maritime court and the Southeast Region Investment Corporation so that tangible results can emerge." He added, "To promote the transfer of shipping companies, we will form and operate a transfer support council with participation from the central government, local governments, and related industries, and we will promptly finalize which public institutions under the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will transfer together to Busan and begin full-fledged preparations for the transfer."
He also said he would personally oversee preparations to enter the Arctic route. Minister Jeon said, "Since taking office as Minister, I have devoted myself to building the maritime capital zone in preparation for the era of the Arctic route," adding, "I will personally oversee the Arctic route task force, which is currently chaired by the Vice Minister."
As part of preparations to enter the Arctic route, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will form an Arctic route advisory committee and hold a kickoff meeting next month, and it also plans to push for the establishment of an Arctic route committee and a dedicated support organization with participation across ministries.
Minister Jeon also presented as key tasks: selecting one complex marine leisure tourism city; preparing planned sites for offshore wind power; attracting the 4th UN Ocean Conference; establishing climate change countermeasures by year-end; and preparing measures for fishing vessel safety management by Oct. He also said the government will seek an exemption from the preliminary feasibility study in the research and development field to gain a lead in autonomous AI ships.
Meanwhile, Minister Jeon said, "We will work to expand the budget so that the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries can have a bigger presence at policy sites nationwide." Next year's budget proposal was 7.3287 trillion won, up 8% from this year.