"Busan as a center for international marine business, Ulsan as a hub for eco-friendly energy, and South Gyeongsang as a base for port logistics and manufacturing."
The government is pushing a plan to foster the southeastern region as a global maritime economy hub in step with efforts to activate the Northern Sea Route.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on the 26th announced the "Southern marine capital region development direction," which contains strategies to activate the Northern Sea Route and foster the southeastern region into a global maritime economy base, at a Cabinet meeting.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) will prepare to activate the Northern Sea Route as a mid- to long-term national strategy to be ready for the Northern Sea Route era arriving after 2030.
It will pursue a pilot voyage on the Busan–Rotterdam section in the second half of this year and build a phased operation system with the goal of opening a regular Korea–Europe route in 2030. It will also expand the domestic ice-strengthened and icebreaking fleet, train polar specialists, and build infrastructure for supplying eco-friendly fuel.
It will build competitiveness by linking with key infrastructure such as Jinhae New Port and will also focus on fostering high value-added maritime service industries, including marine finance, maritime law, eco-friendly bunkering, and ship maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).
It plans to strengthen future shipbuilding and marine industry competitiveness, such as autonomous navigation and eco-friendly ships, and support a leap to become a key hub in the global supply chain through artificial intelligence transformation (AX) of port, logistics and manufacturing industries.
It will also seek to create specialized jobs in the southern marine capital region. In cooperation with large companies, it will establish employment-linked contract departments and promote training of specialized personnel in oceans and fisheries and science and engineering.
Minister Hwang Jong-woo of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said, "The success of the southern marine capital region will contribute to the national land space grand transformation plan of 'five poles and three specialties,'" adding, "We will push without a hitch to foster the southern marine capital region so that Korea can leap forward as a world-class maritime power."