Residents of Yeosu Geomundo Demand Deployment of Large Passenger Ships in Protest

Residents "Frequent Cancellations Must Be Solved by Deploying 2,000-ton Passenger Ship"
Residents Threaten "Desperate Measures" Against 'Lukewarm Administration' of Yeosu Maritime Affairs Office

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Shim Kyung-taek] Residents of Geomundo Island in Yeosu City, Jeollanam-do, held a rally at the Yeosu Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office, urging the deployment of a large ferry passenger ship on the Yeosu-Geomun route.

About 100 residents of Yeosu Geomundo held a rally on the 2nd at the Yeosu Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office, demanding, "We urge prompt administrative procedures for the launch of a large high-speed ferry passenger ship as a solution to the inconveniences of island residents and as a measure to revitalize tourism."

On this day, the Geomundo residents stated, "We submitted a petition requesting the deployment of a large high-speed ferry passenger ship, which is a long-cherished wish of the residents, to the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, but received no response, which is an act of ignoring the residents," and called for the resignation of the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries and the head of the Yeosu Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office.

They criticized, "Despite the ferry company's willingness to deploy a large high-speed ferry passenger ship, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office, which should resolve this issue, is presenting only conditions that make it impossible, becoming an obstacle."

The Yeosu-Geomun route has seen growing dissatisfaction among island residents due to the operation of aging vessels that are 27 years old and frequent cancellations, leading to strong demands for the cancellation of the existing ferry operator's license and the attraction of new operators.

In particular, frequent breakdowns of vessels operating on the Geomundo route and frequent cancellations due to bad weather resulted in a cancellation rate of 46% in April, exacerbating the residents' hardships.

Accordingly, the newly operating ferry company on the Geomundo route since February has requested permission to deploy a 2,000-ton large high-speed ferry passenger ship, but the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office has not accepted it, citing safety concerns.

The residents emphasize that if a 2,000-ton large high-speed ferry passenger ship is deployed, it can safely carry 385 passengers and 56 vehicles including cargo trucks and passenger cars, and the travel time can be reduced by more than an hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes compared to the current time.

In this situation, 797 island residents of Samsan-myeon recently submitted a petition to the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries.

Through the petition, the residents stated, "The way the Yeosu Regional Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office handles its duties raises suspicions that it is not encouraging the convenience and relief of transportation for island residents, but rather neglecting and worsening the difficulties of inconvenient transportation for island residents."

They also criticized, "When trying to deploy a 2,000-ton large high-speed ferry passenger ship on the route, the Yeosu Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office presented an unacceptable stance of refusal."

The residents appealed, "If the reasons for the impossibility of deploying the all-weather large ferry passenger ship on the Yeosu-Geomun route are not reasonable, we will risk everything and take desperate measures against the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Please help so that the all-weather large ferry passenger ship can be deployed on the Yeosu-Geomun route and the long-cherished wish of the island residents can be fulfilled."

They also claimed, "There are no tourists, and the cancellation rate is high, so island residents who have to worry about their livelihoods are all crying out that they will die, but the government is blocking the ferry company’s efforts to do what even the state cannot solve for islanders."

In particular, when the head of the Yeosu Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office recently visited Geomundo, the head of the Crew Maritime Safety Division allegedly threatened residents by saying, "If the people of Geomundo keep making noise, there will be nothing left for Geomundo in the future." The residents stated, "If a public apology is not made to all residents, we will also launch a campaign for the resignation of the said division head."

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