‘Sea is a Dream’ … Busan City Operates Field Experience for Youth

Busan City will operate the on-site experience program for youth, 'Badaga Kkum' (formerly Youth Sea Safety Experience Learning), from March to November.

Last year, participants of the 'Sea is a Dream' program are taking a commemorative photo during their experiential learning.

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Since its launch in 2015, this program has been designed to cultivate youth's ability to respond to marine safety accidents to prevent casualties, and to provide opportunities for career exploration in line with the implementation of the free semester and grade system, thereby nurturing the next generation of marine and fisheries personnel.

By offering various experiential activities, it is expected to support the development of youth capabilities and healthy growth.

So far, a total of 70 sessions have been held, with 2,057 participants experiencing the program.

From 2020 to 2022, the program was not conducted due to COVID-19 prevention and social distancing policies. When major quarantine measures were eased in June 2023, a pilot program was conducted twice for 51 participants to facilitate a swift return to normal life.

This year's program, considering the academic schedule, will be held once or twice a month from March for about 420 middle school students (12 schools) in the city, and the name has been changed from 'Youth Sea Safety Experience Learning' to 'Badaga Kkum'.

The program consists of boarding the city’s fishery guidance vessel (Bubihos, 374t) to experience onboard safety and marine tours for one hour each.

The onboard safety experience includes demonstrations by instructors composed of experts from the Korea Maritime Rescue Association on escape techniques during onboard safety accidents, life jacket wearing methods, fire extinguisher use, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), AED (Automated External Defibrillator) operation, and life raft inflation, allowing participants to simultaneously receive safety education and hands-on experience.

Additionally, explanations about 'Marine Environment' such as ship-mounted rapid radiation inspection equipment for seawater, 'Busan Marine' covering the status of the port city of Busan, and 'Future Marine' including the international cooperation project for the marine data collection satellite Busansat will be provided, offering opportunities to nurture dreams related to marine and fisheries fields.

The marine tour program involves boarding the city’s fishery guidance vessel departing from Busan Port Pier 5, passing Busan Harbor Bridge, the National Maritime Museum, Sinsundae Pier, and returning to Busan Port Pier 5, allowing participants to observe changes in Busan Port, including the North Port redevelopment project area.

In particular, the city plans to expand education to Ulsan City and Gyeongnam Province education offices in the future to secure the safety rights of residents in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) metropolitan area, which is a core task of the Bu-Ul-Gyeong super metropolitan development plan.

Middle schools in the city wishing to participate in this program should consult in advance with the city’s Fisheries Policy Division regarding the schedule and number of participants by the 29th and then apply via official documents.

Kim Byung-gi, Director of the Marine and Fisheries Bureau of Busan City, stated, "'Badaga Kkum' will proactively respond to marine accidents and provide opportunities for career planning in the marine and fisheries fields for the next generation. We will strive to encourage participation not only from the city but also from various institutions and organizations in the Bu-Ul-Gyeong region that own vessels."

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