Rep. Yoon So-ha Talks with Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Regarding Novel Coronavirus

Reporting on Fisheries Damage and Demands for Countermeasure Preparation

Assemblyman Yoon So-ha (Photo by Justice Party)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Hyeong-seok] Yoon So-ha, floor leader of the Justice Party, announced on the 12th that he demanded measures to address the spread of damage in the fisheries sector employing foreign workers, including Chinese workers, as the novel coronavirus situation prolongs, during a phone call with Moon Sung-hyuk, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, on the 11th.

Yoon said, “After meeting with the Mokpo Fisheries Cooperative last week and confirming the damage situation this week, we found that out of about 60 medium and large anchored net fishing vessels in Mokpo, only 17 have set sail due to the absence of crew members (including Chinese and other foreign crew),” adding, “The problem is that even if crew members enter Korea after China’s Lunar New Year, they must undergo at least two weeks of quarantine before employment. During that period, even if substitute personnel are found, the labor cost for Korean crew is nearly twice as high as that of foreign crew, so fishing operations are ultimately being abandoned,” conveying the situation on site to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

He continued, “To immediately alleviate the difficulties of fishermen, the government should provide special fishing operation funds,” and requested the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries to “prepare effective measures to facilitate financial support, such as low-interest loans of about 20 to 30 million won per vessel and issuance of guarantees to fishermen by the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund.”

In response, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries acknowledged the difficulties faced by fishermen, stated that it is currently confirming the scale of damage, and promised to promptly prepare damage countermeasures to minimize fishermen’s losses through joint efforts.

Yoon So-ha emphasized, “For government policies to be effective, rapid formulation and execution of measures without missing the timing are necessary,” and said, “I will directly request cooperation from various government ministries, including the Ministry of Strategy and Finance.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.