Five Years of Life-Risking Distant Fishing Amid Korea-Japan Fisheries Talks Suspension... "Advancing Fuel Cost Support"

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries: "Settlement Possible from January 1st"

The deep-sea fishing vessel 'Lim Discoverer' belonging to Hanseong Enterprise, which was stranded in Papua New Guinea after hitting a reef on April 20 last year. (Image source=Yonhap News)

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] With the clock on Korea-Japan fisheries negotiations stopped for over five years since July 1, 2016, the government is moving up the timing of fuel cost support. For five years, fishermen have had to risk their lives to go far out to sea for fishing.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 14th that it will provide fuel cost support for fishing trips to alternative fishing grounds in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) starting earlier than usual, from February.

To this end, 1.6 billion KRW, which is 70% of the 2.3 billion KRW project budget, will be allocated to six local governments on the 15th.

The ministry has been supporting fuel costs since 2019 for fishermen who operated in Japan's EEZ between January 20, 2015, and June 30, 2016, the last period of bilateral negotiations.

Until now, the support recipients were selected around March each year, and funds were disbursed around April to May. Until last year, only fuel costs spent after selection were allowed as actual expenses, and settlements were made in October to November. Fishermen could only settle fuel costs spent after March at the end of the year.

Belatedly, the ministry revised the "Alternative Fishing Ground Resource Trend Survey Project Implementation Guidelines."

From January 1 of this year, if applicants submit supporting documents for fuel costs used, they can receive settlements for January expenses as early as February. Up to 6,076,000 KRW per vessel will be supported.

To receive support, applicants must submit related documents such as duty-free fuel receipts purchased after January 1 of this year and fish sales certificates to the relevant city or provincial office.

Im Taeho, head of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' Guidance and Negotiation Division, said, "We will actively cooperate with local governments to ensure that the remaining budget is allocated to local governments next month and that support funds are promptly paid to fishermen."

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