Industrializing New Growth through Regulatory Innovation... Marine Leisure Safety, Manufacturing, and Tourism

Regulatory Reform Task Force of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Coast Guard, and Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries: Regulatory Improvement and System Overhaul

The Regulatory Innovation Promotion Team of the Office for Government Policy Coordination (Director: Prime Minister Han Ducksoo), together with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Minister Kang Dohyung), the Korea Coast Guard (Commissioner Kim Jongwook), and others, has established a plan for “Regulatory Innovation to Revitalize the Marine Leisure Tourism Industry,” laying the foundation for the development of the marine leisure industry through the improvement of eight regulations and system reforms.

Participants of the "1st Marine Leisure Industry Development Public-Private-Academic-Governance" held in April at the Busan International Boat Show conference hall to improve and develop marine leisure safety, manufacturing, and tourism systems. [Image source=Marine Leisure Equipment Industry Association]

This is the result of the government’s proactive response to requests from member companies of the Marine Leisure Equipment Industry Association for regulatory improvements and system reforms in the marine leisure industry.

During the process of system improvement, member companies of the Marine Leisure Equipment Industry Association, the Regulatory Innovation Promotion Team, the Water Leisure Division of the Korea Coast Guard, the Marine Leisure Tourism Division and Maritime Industry Technology Division of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and other relevant departments participated in system improvement and expert review meetings, as well as on-site inspections. In particular, reviews were conducted on the Water Leisure Safety Act, Ship Safety Act, International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC).

As a result of thorough review, a framework was established for eight regulatory improvements and system reforms in the four major areas of marine leisure (leisure equipment, mooring facilities, resolving leisure inconveniences, legal and functional reforms). These regulatory improvements have paved the way for industrial development, including exports, through the standardization of construction, manufacturing, facility standards, and specifications in the marine leisure industry.

Lee Youngil, Director of the Marine Leisure Equipment Industry Association, stated, “We welcome the fact that the proposals from our association have been reviewed by the central government and have resulted in institutional improvements in the marine leisure sector. With the global marine leisure industry market reaching approximately 180 trillion KRW, we expect these regulatory improvements and system reforms to drive the development of related industries. To realize continuous development and cooperation in the marine leisure industry through system improvements, we will propose to the government the creation of a tentatively named ‘Marine Leisure Safety, Manufacturing, and Tourism Academic Conference’ and related industry coalitions (consultative bodies), as suggested at the ‘Public-Private-Industry-Academia-Research Joint Forum for the Development of the Marine Leisure Industry’ last June. We will also create forums for joint and cooperative discussions with relevant government bodies, including the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Water Leisure Division of the Korea Coast Guard, the Shipbuilding and Offshore Plant Division of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Small and Medium Business Policy Office of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and the Marine Leisure Tourism Division of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. We express our gratitude to the government for promoting regulatory innovation that removes obstacles to the development of the marine leisure industry and for creating a turning point for industrial development through regulatory improvements and system reforms. We hope that, starting with this regulatory reform, Korea’s marine leisure industry will leap forward and enhance its global competitiveness.”

An official from the marine leisure industry commented, “The global trend is to focus on achieving carbon neutrality in the marine mobility environment by operating eco-friendly vessels more efficiently across various vessel types. With the government’s recent institutional improvements to relevant laws and regulations, we expect to reduce wasteful elements such as re-inspections and to lay a solid foundation for efficiency and competitiveness by applying international standards. It is necessary to strengthen export competitiveness by manufacturing practical and high-quality marine leisure equipment, boats, and yachts. Furthermore, it is important to improve legislation so that the inspection standards and applicable laws for small vessels are based on the international standard for vessel length (less than 24 meters).”

For this system improvement, member companies of the Marine Leisure Equipment Industry Association, the Korea Research Institute of Ship and Ocean Engineering, Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Youngsan University, Jeju Marine Leisure Association, Gyeongnam Marine Leisure Tourism Association, Korea Conformity Laboratories, Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement, and the Marine Leisure Mini Cluster (specialized institution: Korea Industrial Complex Corporation) participated together.

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