Jeju Underwater Leisure Safety Shifts to Coast Guard-Centered Response System

Transfer of Responsibilities from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to the Korea Coast Guard
Enforcement of the Revised "Underwater Leisure Act"

The Jeju Regional Maritime Police Agency (Commissioner Park Sangchun) announced that, starting today (April 23, 2026), with the enforcement of the revised "Act on the Safety and Promotion of Underwater Leisure Activities" (commonly known as the "Underwater Leisure Act"), the responsibilities for the safety management of underwater leisure activities will be transferred from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to the Korea Coast Guard.

Poster for Safety and Promotion of Underwater Leisure Activities. Provided by Jeju Regional Coast Guard.

Previously, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries was responsible for safety management and business registration under the Underwater Leisure Act. However, since the Korea Coast Guard already manages the safety of water leisure activities, there has been a continued call to streamline and unify the management of underwater leisure activity safety for greater efficiency.

Accordingly, the amendment to the Underwater Leisure Act, which stipulates the transfer of safety management responsibilities to the Korea Coast Guard, was promulgated on April 22, 2025, and will come into full effect on April 23, 2026, after a one-year grace period.

Going forward, the Korea Coast Guard will handle tasks such as the registration, modification, and safety inspections of underwater leisure businesses. Certain safety management functions, such as designating prohibited zones for underwater leisure activities and imposing administrative fines, will be carried out jointly with local governments.

Park Jongtaek, Head of the Maritime Safety Division at the Jeju Regional Maritime Police Agency, stated, "With the enforcement of this revised Underwater Leisure Act, we will do our utmost to create a safe environment for both water and underwater leisure activities by integrating the previously divided safety management systems of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Coast Guard, so that the public can enjoy these activities with peace of mind."

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