Minister Cho Seung-hwan: "Fostering a Ship-Centered High Value-Added Industry"

Inauguration Ceremony of the 22nd Minister of Oceans and Fisheries

Cho Seung-hwan, the nominee for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, attended the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 4th, listening to the lawmakers' questions with his eyes closed. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Sejong=Reporter Dongwoo Lee] Cho Seung-hwan, the newly appointed Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, said on the 11th, "We will break away from the conventional notion of approaching the shipping industry as cargo and passenger transportation and foster it as a ship-centered high value-added industry."

At the inauguration ceremony of the 22nd Minister of Oceans and Fisheries held at the main auditorium of the Government Sejong Complex on the morning of the same day, Minister Cho stated, "We will realize a soaring marine economy and a vibrant maritime community."

He added, "In particular, the shipping industry, which was rebuilt under public leadership after the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping, will now firmly establish a support base so that it can continue to grow centered on the market, such as activating private ship investment," emphasizing, "Ports will move beyond simple cargo handling functions to activate value-added services such as ship transactions, crew changes, refueling, and ship supplies, and create new value by linking with manufacturing centered on the hinterland complexes."

He also called for revitalizing fishing villages and strengthening the competitiveness of the fisheries industry. Minister Cho explained, "Fishing villages will establish a comprehensive support system that improves fishermen's housing, income, and welfare beyond infrastructure support focused on fishing ports," and "The fisheries industry will be actively supported to maintain appropriate production levels, while enhancing the competitiveness of the seafood industry through scaling and smartization of aquaculture, processing, and distribution facilities."

He pledged to work on creating clean and healthy seas and safe coastal environments. Minister Cho said, "In response to climate change, we will drastically reduce carbon emissions from ships and ports, and continuously expand marine carbon sinks through tidal flat restoration and sea forest creation," promising, "We will systematically manage the entire lifecycle of plastic waste threatening marine ecosystems, from generation to disposal and recycling."

Furthermore, he stated, "We will promote marinas and marine healing industries so that our people, who have struggled with COVID-19 over the past two years, can find comfort and rest through the sea and revitalize local economies, and gradually expand the National Marine Garden," explaining, "We will also actively discover and foster new marine and fisheries industries such as digital maritime traffic information systems, marine energy, and marine bio, which are emerging as next-generation growth engines."

Minister Cho emphasized 'the people' and 'the future' to the staff to build a 'strong Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.' He said, "We must understand the will of the people and look into what difficulties and inconveniences they face," adding, "We must visit the frontlines where we fight rough waves and compete fiercely with the world, listen to the voices of the people, and study and contemplate to find solutions."

He added, "We need the wisdom and courage to prepare and get ready for the coming future, to do what must be done for our future generations above all, and to firmly block what should not be done."

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