- MOF hosts the 1st Seafarer Policy Innovation Council meeting on Jan 27th -

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Minister CHO Seung-Hwan) announced that it will be holding a launching ceremony for the Seafarer Policy Innovation Council and host the 1st meeting on January 27th (Friday) at 14:00. The Council will consist of members of the Ministry as well as labor-management representatives from the Federation of Korean Seafarers’ Union, Korea Shipowners’ Association, and Korea Overseas Fisheries Association, and professional institutions such as the Korea Maritime Institute. The Council will be chaired by Vice Minister Song Sang-Keun of Oceans and Fisheries.

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is directly engaged in matters relating to seafarer policy innovation as Korea faces the gradual decrease in the number of its national ship seafarers, the core human resource in the marine and fisheries sectors. In fact, the number of national seafarers has fluctuated back and forth from 2007 to 2013 yet remained steady, at around 38,000. However, the number has continued to decrease since 2014, falling to 32,510 in 2021.

 Backed by this shortage, Korea currently faces the challenge of supply and demand imbalances in national seafarers at the frontline of the marine and fisheries sector, with more severe imbalances expected following the rapid ageing of sea crews and the high attrition rate among younger seafarers. This will not only reduce the competitive edge of Korea’s marine and fisheries sectors but may also result in weakened capacity to operate key national strategic logistics during national emergencies, such as natural disasters or wars.

 To address these challenges, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plans to identify initiatives to resolve the supply and demand imbalances related to seafarers through the Seafarer Policy Innovation Council. In the first council meeting, Korea Maritime Institute will deliver a presentation on the topic of ‘forecasts and future tasks in the seafarer labor market,’ which will be followed by an open discussion among the participants to table current topics and ideas that target resolutions for various relevant sectors. The Council will continue to draft its medium-to-long-term policy strategy and prepare a final ‘Seafarer Policy Innovation Plan’ within the year, through which labor and management will come together to implement the plan.