Korean seaports to maintain normal operations over holiday: ministry

Korea's major seaports will continue to operate normally throughout the extended Lunar New Year holiday this week, the oceans ministry said Sunday.

Starting Monday, the government will run a four-day special operation at major ports to help exporters, importers and shipping companies maintain business operations without disruptions, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Under the measure, the ministry will operate an emergency hotline to support the loading and unloading of essential industrial resources throughout the holiday.

The country will also inspect equipment at ports to avoid possible malfunctions caused by low temperatures.

"The oceans ministry will maintain normal port entry control and security measures to avoid possible accidents, including terrorism and illegal entry to the country by sea," the ministry added.

The Lunar New Year holiday was originally set to last three days from Tuesday as the new year falls on Wednesday, but the government designated Monday as a temporary national holiday, extending the holiday period to a maximum of six days for most Koreans. (Yonhap)