MOF Aims to Establish a Maritime Organization Cluster in Busan Port’s North Port Redevelopment Project Area

- The MOF aims to establish an infrastructure cooperative system between the MOF and industry-academia-research related to oceans.

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) announced that it will sign an MOU with the Busan Port Authority (BPA), Korea Ocean Business Corporation (KOBC), Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), Korea Maritime and Ocean University (KMOU), and Korea Shipping Association (KSA) for cooperation on the establishment a Marine Institution Cluster as part of the Busan North Port Redevelopment Project. The signing ceremony will take place at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center (BPEX) on Friday, February 14.

 The MOF agreed with the six institutions, including the BPA, to create a marine institution cluster on a site of approximately 77,000 m2 within the Complex Port District of Phase 1 of the Busan North Port Redevelopment Project. This MOU aims to revitalize the project and to strengthen cooperation between industry, academia, and research institutes. Without relocating, the marine institution cluster will provide additional business space for some organizations (excluding the KOBC and the Busan branch of the KSA).

 Under the terms of the agreement, institutions wishing to move into the cluster will have to prepare detailed plans, including the scale and method of their occupancy (land purchase, building lease, etc.) and the facilities to be installed. The MOF and the BPA, as the bodies responsible for implementing Phase 1 of the North Port Redevelopment Project, will coordinate and establish the cluster development plan.

 In addition to the seven institutions participating in the MOU, efforts will be made to attract other marine-related organizations and associations to build a robust industry-academia-research cooperation system.

  The public institutions which have agreed to the MOU with the MOF now plan to form a working-level consultative body that will implement the specific details of the marine institution cluster project. Each institution will specify the occupancy requirements by the second half of this year in order to prepare a cluster development plan. Administrative procedures, including changes to the redevelopment project plan, will be completed in the first half of 2026, with the full-scale project set to commence in the second half of 2026.

 “The Marine Institution Cluster, as a part of the North Port Redevelopment Project, is expected to serve as a foothold for revitalizing the redevelopment area and enhancing the competitiveness of marine businesses through synergy with existing marine-related clusters such as the Dongsam Innovation District Marine Cluster and the Busan Port Marine Industry Cluster. We will collaborate closely with all the institutions that have already joined this initiative to ensure the successful implementation of the Busan North Port Redevelopment Project and to provide active support,” Minister Kang Do-hyung said.