Chairman Yongjae Lee: "Let's Overcome the Port Crisis by Gathering Wisdom"

Discussion on Measures to Address Decrease in Gwangyang Port Cargo Volume Due to Prehistoric Departure on the 12th

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] Lee Yong-jae, Chairman of the Jeonnam Provincial Council, announced on the 13th that on the 12th, due to the spread of COVID-19 and the departure of shipping lines, cargo volume at Gwangyang Port has decreased, and he held a meeting with officials from Yeosu-Gwangyang Port to discuss countermeasures.

The meeting, proposed by Chairman Lee Yong-jae, was attended by Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province; Kim Tae-gyun, Chair of the Economic, Tourism and Culture Committee of the Jeonnam Provincial Council; Councilor Kim Gil-yong; Jung Hyun-bok, Mayor of Gwangyang; Cha Min-sik, President of Yeosu Gwangyang Port Authority; as well as related institutions, companies, and universities.

Chairman Lee Yong-jae emphasized, "Recently, Gwangyang Port has experienced a significant decrease in cargo volume due to the impact of COVID-19, and with the departure of cargo from two major shipping lines, the port is facing double difficulties in its operations. In fact, cargo volume at Gwangyang Port in the first quarter of this year decreased by 10.4% compared to the previous year, suffering the greatest impact among ports."

He continued, "I have heard that the decline in cargo volume is expected to worsen in the second quarter, and to overcome these difficult circumstances, the province is promoting various projects to generate cargo volume at Gwangyang Port. Although the situation is not easy, I hope that all available means will be mobilized to overcome this hardship."

On that day, the representative of the operating company requested rent reductions and the conversion of yard tractor power to electric power.

A shipping line representative proposed operating a community including the Korea Shipowners' Association and the Yeosu Gwangyang Maritime Association, while a freight brokerage representative requested that incentives for increasing cargo volume, which have become difficult to receive due to the decline in cargo volume, be restructured into employment support funds (for new hires and wage compensation).

In response, Chairman Lee Yong-jae said, "The Jeonnam Provincial Council will listen carefully to your voices and actively support what needs to be done so that the port industry can overcome the coming waves. As the saying goes, true character is revealed in times of crisis; let us all?port families and companies alike?come together with wisdom to overcome this challenge."

Governor Kim Young-rok also stated, "To secure cargo volume, we will strengthen marketing for Gwangyang Port by holding investment attraction briefings targeting domestic and international shipping lines, cargo owners, and freight brokerage companies in the metropolitan area, and we will request incentive support at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries level."

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