Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kang Do-hyung speaks during a press conference at Government Complex Sejong, Monday. Courtesy of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries
Gov't denies setbacks in hosting international maritime events
By Park Jae-hyuk
The government is set to support Korean shipping companies, as U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist policies have fueled uncertainties surrounding the logistics industry.
Despite Trump's negative stance on financing the use of eco-friendly fuels for vessels, Korea will continue conversations with the United States to make sea routes connecting the two countries free of carbon emissions.
Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kang Do-hyung announced these measures, Monday, introducing the ministry's major tasks for this year to the press.
With the expectation that global trade tensions would lower freight rates in the long run after a temporary hike, the minister promised that the government will keep monitoring U.S. trade policies and their impacts on maritime logistics.
He also vowed to maximize Korea's interests, when tackling the looming global environmental regulations on the shipping industry.
However, he admitted the possibility of the Trump administration's energy policies thwarting the two countries' attempts to create "green shipping routes" and the International Maritime Organization's plan to charge vessel operators for carbon emissions.
"It is important for us this year to counteract climate change, as well as the supply chain reshuffle and the changing trade environment in the aftermath of the launch of a new U.S. government," Kang said.
In response to concerns that the prolonged leadership vacuum in the Korean government may cause setbacks in the ministry's plans to host international maritime events, he emphasized that preparations for the 10th Our Ocean Conference in Busan in April have been smoothly underway in collaboration with the U.S. State Department, which had inaugurated the annual conference in 2014.
"To win the approval in June for our bid to co-chair the United Nations Ocean Conference with Chile in 2028, I will visit Chile later this month on the occasion of my participation in the Uruguayan president's inauguration as a special envoy," Kang said.
He added that working-level government officials are in talks about the agenda for the APEC Ocean-related Ministerial Meeting, which will be held on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, from late October to early November.
"With the foreign ministry, we have discussed the event's topics and collected opinions from the meeting's participants," Kang said.
During the press conference, the minister also addressed the increase in fishing boat accidents.
According to the ministry, the number of deaths and missing persons caused by fishing boat accidents amounted to 119 in 2024, the highest since 2014.
Attributing the recent fishing boat accidents mainly to weather conditions and intensifying competition between fishermen, Kang said that the government will finance the supply of inflatable life jackets and the development of a system that can predict accidents.
The ministry will also order all boats to comply with the Total Allowable Catch rule, a control measure that limits the amount of fish that can be caught from a fishery within a specific time period.
"We decided to take emergency measures to prevent fishing boat accidents until the end of next month," Kang said.
Regarding the high price of dried seaweed despite the recent oversupply of its raw ingredient, the minister said that the price will be stabilized later this month, as it takes several weeks for seaweed factories to process the raw ingredient.
English (United States) ·