Incheon to Open 'Gui-eo School' in Second Half of Next Year... 8th Nationwide

Exterior view of the Incheon Fisheries Technology Support Center, which will operate the Return-to-Fishing School [Photo provided by Incheon City]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] A return-to-fishing school will open in Incheon in the second half of next year.

The return-to-fishing school is an institution that provides training on skills related to fishing vessel operations and aquaculture to citizens who are struggling to settle in fishing villages or considering returning to fishing.

Incheon City announced on the 15th that it was selected in the preliminary public contest for establishing a return-to-fishing school conducted by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, making it the eighth such school to be established nationwide.

The training will take place in the large conference room within the Incheon Fisheries Technology Support Center, and a two-story dormitory will be newly constructed with a budget of 1 billion KRW from national and city funds. The return-to-fishing school plans to open in the second half of next year and train 80 specialized fisheries personnel annually.

To provide practical and substantial education, the Incheon Fisheries Technology Support Center will directly operate the return-to-fishing school. The curriculum will reflect the characteristics of the local fisheries industry and offer diverse training not only in fishing and aquaculture but also in fishing village tourism and service industries.

Currently, about 7,900 households comprising approximately 15,200 people in Incheon are engaged in the fisheries industry. According to statistics released last year, the number of households returning to fishing in Incheon increased by 72.3% compared to the previous year, showing the highest growth rate nationwide.

As the nationwide trend of population decline and aging in fishing villages continues, measures to attract young workers to fishing villages are necessary to respond to the risk of fishing village area extinction.

Accordingly, Incheon City plans to actively implement support policies to revitalize fishing villages by establishing the return-to-fishing school, supporting stable settlement for those wishing to return to fishing or relocate to fishing villages, and assisting in the development of various income sources.

Kim Yulmin, Director of the Incheon Fisheries Technology Support Center, said, "Although the population returning to fishing and relocating to fishing villages has been steadily increasing recently, initial settlement in fishing villages can be challenging. With the operation of the return-to-fishing school, we will help ensure stable settlement and also develop policies specialized for the region."

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