Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Hwang Jong-woo (right) on July 16 explains his ministry's main policy initiatives at a policy briefing chaired by President Lee Jae Myung at the official guesthouse Yeongbingwan of Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul. (Yonhap News)

By Kim Seon Ah

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will run between next month and September trial operation of an Arctic sea route from Busan to Europe to lay the groundwork for a permanent Arctic shipping route.

It will also take action to expand seafood supplies and stabilize prices.

The ministry on July 16 announced this at a briefing held at Cheong Wa Dae on its major plans for the second half of the year under the theme "An Irreplaceable Republic of Korea through a Major Territorial Transformation."

Policy efforts in the second half of the year will focus on paving an Arctic sea route, stabilizing jobs, developing future marine industries, advancing the digital transition of maritime and fisheries sectors, and supporting youth.

To this end, a trial voyage from Busan to Europe will take place for 40-45 days between next month and September. Through the experience and logistics data collected from this trip, the ministry will lay the groundwork for launching regular express delivery service connecting Korea and Europe.

Efforts to expand port infrastructure will also begin. Busan Port will be turned into a hub for container logistics and Ulsan Port into one for energy logistics, positioning both as key footholds for Arctic logistics.

A government support system will also be set up to make the Arctic shipping route permanent, spanning the training of polar mariners, development of core technologies for homegrown icebreaking container vessels and opening a comprehensive support center for the Arctic route.

Efforts will also be expedited to manage seafood supply and stabilize prices. A "mackerel envoys" will also be dispatched to diversify import sources and apply quota-based tariffs to expand the supply of the fish.

Another plan is to raise supplies of other major seafood products such as hairtail, squid and gim (dried seaweed) through temporary deregulation and expanding licenses for fishing and aquaculture.

To keep reducing consumer burden, the release of government stockpiles and promotional discounts will be expanded.

sofiakim218@korea.kr