President Lee: "It Is Important That the Fruits of Growth in Shipbuilding Are Shared Evenly"

'K-Ship Future Vision Meeting' on May 13
President Lee: "Competition Today Is About Ecosystems"
Calls for Greater Government Attention to Employment Stability

President Lee Jae-myung stated on May 13 that for the domestic shipbuilding industry, "It is important to establish a system in which the fruits of growth are shared evenly, allowing both employers and workers within the company to benefit together."

On this day, President Lee made these remarks while attending the 'K-Shipbuilding Future Vision Meeting' held in Ulsan Metropolitan City. He explained, "These days, international economic competition is not about a single product, but rather about the competitiveness of the ecosystem," and added, "If a well-developed ecosystem is in place, it leads to national and international competitiveness." He further commented, "Without such an ecosystem and relying solely on individual product-centric companies, it becomes difficult to withstand challenging circumstances."

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the K-Shipbuilding Future Vision meeting held at Hotel Hyundai by Lahan Ulsan on May 13, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

This meeting was organized to discuss strategies for the Korean shipbuilding industry to make a further leap forward, capitalizing on opportunities such as the global increase in orders for eco-friendly vessels, and to assess risk factors such as fierce competition for orders. Attendees included representatives from large, medium, and small shipbuilders, internal and external partner companies, equipment suppliers, financial institutions, and labor representatives from shipyards—encompassing stakeholders from the entire shipbuilding industry ecosystem.

President Lee cited "high volatility in the business cycle" as a characteristic of the shipbuilding industry. He pointed out, "It is difficult to endure during downturns, and during booms, there is a shortage of manpower," and remarked, "As a result, the industrial field becomes multi-layered and the employment structure grows unstable."

President Lee went on to say, "Related companies, subcontractors, and partner firms are also exposed to large fluctuations in the economy, making things difficult for everyone," and analyzed, "Shipbuilding is a very important industry, but it is exposed to risks." In this regard, President Lee emphasized, "The role and efforts of the government are also important," and added, "I believe the government must pay more attention to maintaining employment and to the sustainable development of the shipbuilding industry ecosystem."

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