The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will conduct a pilot operation of the Northern Sea Route departing from Busan in Aug., and complete the selection of the site for its new headquarters. It plans to use this to complete the maritime city of Busan. In addition, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) will continue support to stabilize domestic seafood prices and expand exports.
Minister Hwang Jong-woo of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries reported the "major work plan for the second half of 2026" to President Lee Jae-myung on the 16th.
Minister Hwang said he will focus on pushing eight key tasks in the second half of this year. The key tasks are ▲ sailing the Northern Sea Route ▲ managing seafood prices ▲ expanding seafood exports ▲ providing basic social services to island and coastal areas ▲ establishing a maritime safety and territorial management system ▲ reforming crisis response systems ▲ and a major transformation of oceans and fisheries with AI (artificial intelligence).
First, as early as next month, the ministry will push a pilot operation of the Northern Sea Route. In a pre-briefing for the press corps held the day before reporting the work plan, Minister Hwang said, "We selected Panstar Line.com as the pilot operator, secured a 2,700 TEU vessel (1 TEU is one 20-foot container), and conducted a cargo demand survey," adding, "For safety, the operation will be carried out together with the personnel already aboard the existing vessel."
He added, "Consultations with related countries are important for the operation, and talks with Russia are proceeding without issue. We have also secured a safe communications network by linking with low-Earth-orbit satellites such as Starlink."
On managing seafood prices, the government will release reserve stocks, hold major seafood discount events, and expand Onnuri gift certificate refund events at traditional markets. It also plans to root out market-disrupting practices through real-time price monitoring and management.
In addition, it will lead the establishment of global standards for domestically produced gim, which accounts for 71.2% of the international gim market, to secure the international standard. Starting in the second half, it will pursue unifying the export product name as "GIM," while also filing a trademark within the year. It plans to diversify exports of oysters and abalones, among others, to discover a "second gim."
In addition, through a public ferry system, it will support the mobility rights of island and coastal residents, and strengthen the maritime safety and territorial management system by promoting routine life jacket use and managing illegal fishing vessels from China and elsewhere. It will also continue managing the Middle East situation and reform crisis response systems, launch a smart port test bed incorporating physical AI, and begin developing autonomous ships that can operate fully unmanned.
Minister Hwang also presented growth tasks led by local governments. He said, "We will foster Busan, Ulsan, and South Gyeongsang as a maritime capital region," adding, "In Aug. this year, we will select the site for the new headquarters, and take the lead in attracting corporations by creating a 100 billion won scale-up fund." The fund will be formed by contributions at the end of this year of 30 billion won from Busan City, 20 billion won from BNK Financial Group, and 50 billion won from Korea Ocean Business Corporation (KOBC). To attract and invest in corporations, a joint policy council with participation from the central and local governments and the business community will also be established.
For reform tasks, the ministry proposed ▲ introducing global standards for inshore and offshore fisheries ▲ improving working conditions for foreign workers ▲ and managing the seabed, and for national normalization tasks, it proposed ▲ closing blind spots in ocean management ▲ and blocking illegal subleasing in port hinterland complexes. Minister Hwang said, "We will faithfully carry out the reported tasks so that, by innovating the coasts and the sea, we can advance to become a leading maritime power with an overwhelming edge."