Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, "50% Monthly Discount on Seafood - Introduction of Fishing Village-type Opportunity Development Zones"

Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Announces Major Policy Implementation Plans for the 4th

From now on, events offering up to 50% discounts on seafood will be held every month. The scale of fisheries policy funds to improve the management conditions of fishermen will also be expanded to the largest ever. To prevent the disappearance of fishing villages, fishing village-type opportunity development zones will also be introduced.

On the 4th, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced the "2024 Major Policy Implementation Plan" containing these details. The ministry plans to stabilize seafood prices and expand seafood supply by supporting monthly events offering up to 50% discounts on seafood, and to expand the refund events for Onnuri gift certificates within traditional markets. Additionally, the government stockpile will be increased to 44,000 tons, and for items with insufficient supply, tariffs will be reduced or exempted to ensure rapid supply.

To strengthen the management conditions of fishermen, the supply scale of fisheries policy funds for fishermen will be expanded to a record high of 4.1 trillion won. The loan limit for developing fishermen will be raised from 1 billion won to 1.5 billion won, and the loan limit for fishing corporations will be increased from 1.5 billion won to 2 billion won. The non-taxable income limit will also be raised from the existing 30 million won to 50 million won. Electricity bill reductions for fishermen will be supported up to a maximum of 440,000 won. In case of a sharp rise in the price of tax-free fuel for fishing, fuel price-linked subsidies will also be temporarily provided.

To prevent the accelerating disappearance of fishing villages, a "fishing village-type opportunity development zone" will be introduced. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries reform task force (TF) will establish a "Comprehensive Plan for Vitalizing Fishing Villages and Coastal Areas" as a core task. Along with infrastructure improvements for 100 fishing villages this year, deregulation of hinterland areas of fishing ports will also be promoted. A Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries official said, "Opportunity development zones conceptually could include fishing leisure zones and smart aquaculture startup zones," adding, "We can support regulatory improvements based on local government demands to enable development."

Minister Kang Do-hyung of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

A master plan for developing tourist attractions like Sentosa in Singapore or Cancun in Mexico will also be established. The ministry will actively promote the complex marine leisure tourism city project and create a South Coast marine leisure tourism belt linking marine tourism resources in Busan, Gyeongnam, and Jeonnam. The aim is to nurture cultural hubs by region rather than individual infrastructure. Marine bio will establish regional hubs and focus on commercialization support to double the market size.

Efforts to abolish about half of the fishing regulations will also be actively pursued. Under the plan to abolish 50% of over 1,500 fishing regulations by 2027, more than 120 fishing regulations, including lifting the fishing ban in Gomsoman and Geumgang estuary and easing fishing vessel inspection standards, will be resolved starting this year. It is expected to reduce costs by more than 80 billion won annually.

The "Smart Aquaculture Cluster" capable of producing Atlantic salmon in Busan, Gangneung, and Yangyang will also be completed this year. This is to establish a foundation for entering the global salmon market worth 60 trillion won. The technology accumulated through the cluster will be disseminated to the private sector to support the overall smartization of aquaculture. Support for the export star item "Gim" will help achieve 800 billion won in exports this year. Tuna exports will be supported to reach 600 billion won through securing overseas fishing grounds.

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