Assemblyman Seo Samsuk Contributes to Income and Living Stability through Fisheries Direct Payment

Passage of Two Bills Including the Complete Revision of the Act on Direct Fisheries Subsidies
Establishment of Support Provisions for Salt Producers Preserving Traditional Production Methods

Seo Sam-seok, member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Yeongam, Muan, Sinan)

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Seo Sam-seok, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Yeongam Muan Sinan), announced that two bills he had sponsored last year?the full revision bill of the "Act on the Implementation of Direct Payment System for Fisheries" and the partial revision bill of the "Salt Industry Promotion Act"?were passed at the National Assembly plenary session on the 30th.

Among the amendments, the full revision bill of the "Act on the Implementation of Direct Payment System for Fisheries" aims to enhance the public interest functions in the fisheries sector by imposing certain obligations on fishers and providing direct payments based on compliance with these obligations according to specific criteria.

The significance of the passed amendment lies in the introduction of a public interest direct payment system in the fisheries sector to support income stabilization for fishers and the fulfillment of public interest obligations.

The public interest direct payment system is subdivided into four categories: disadvantaged areas (islands and border areas), management transfer (maintenance of fishing village communities), fisheries resource protection, and support for eco-friendly seafood production. The law specifies the main contents, targets, compliance obligations, and criteria for calculating direct payment amounts for each category of the public interest direct payment system.

Meanwhile, the introduction of the direct payment system in the fisheries sector is expected to contribute to income and livelihood stabilization through direct payments to fisheries and fishing villages, establish a stable foundation for fishery management, and provide safe seafood free from harmful substances to the public through thorough production management such as eco-friendly aquaculture.

Additionally, it is expected to have effects on fisheries resource protection and ecosystem conservation through measures such as total allowable catch (TAC), participation in fishing moratoriums, and expansion of compound feed use.

Rep. Seo Sam-seok stated, "The introduction of the public interest direct payment system in the fisheries sector aims to expand the scope of direct payments to more effectively support income preservation for fishers and regional revitalization," and added that through this system, "it is expected to establish a sustainable foundation for fisheries and fishing villages facing existential crises such as population decline and aging."

The partial revision bill of the "Salt Industry Promotion Act" establishes provisions allowing the state and local governments to provide necessary support to salt manufacturers or salt businesses engaged in activities to preserve and inherit traditional production methods.

Current law mainly supports salt production methods focused on improving productivity and modernizing manufacturing facilities such as salt fields.

Salt fields producing salt by traditional production methods such as topan salt (salt produced by the traditional solar evaporation method from crystallization beds made by leveling tidal flats with rollers) require more than three times the production period and labor compared to general solar salt, yet their selling price is only about 2.6 times that of general solar salt, resulting in lower productivity and difficulty qualifying for support projects compared to general solar salt.

Rep. Seo Sam-seok said, "Currently, only three salt fields producing salt by topan remain out of a total of 1,093 licensed salt fields," and expressed hope that with the passage of the amendment at the plenary session, "traditional production methods with traditional and cultural value will be better preserved and inherited, and furthermore, through linked support with regional tourism products, profitability improvement and regional economic revitalization will become possible."

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