
Oceans minister to hold meeting with foreign envoys to discuss upcoming global maritime conference
South Korea's Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung will hold a meeting with foreign envoys in Seoul on Monday to discuss the country's hosting of a major global maritime conference in April, his office said.
The 10th Our Ocean Conference will be held under the theme "Our Ocean, Our Action" from April 28-30 in the southeastern port city of Busan. It is expected to draw up to 2,000 participants, including government delegates from around 50 countries, according to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.
In Monday's meeting, Kang will share Seoul's preparations for the OOC with some 70 foreign envoys, including 21 ambassadors to South Korea, and exchange views on various agendas to be discussed at the conference.
This year's OOC plans to discuss seven topics, including marine protected areas, sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, maritime security and digital oceans.
On the sidelines of the event, the oceans ministry will hold a business summit on shipping, shipbuilding and digital ocean industries.
South Korea will also host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Oceans-related Ministerial Meeting on April 30 and May 1 in Busan, ahead of the APEC summit to take place in the country in November. (Yonhap)
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Over 10m people travel between S. Korea, Japan in first 5 months in 2025
More than 10 million air passengers traveled on routes between South Korea and Japan in the January–May period, despite the strengthening yen, the transport ministry said Sunday. A record 11.25 million passengers flew between South Korea and Japan during the first five months of the year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said in a press release. The figure represents a 10.7 percent increase from the 10.16 million recorded during the same period last year and a 19.8 percent rise from the 9.39 million in the first five months of 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the airline industry. Industry officials said that years of a weak yen and the expansion of budget carrier flights to Japan have helped stimulate pent-up travel demand in recent years. They expect demand to continue rising in the second half, with the number of air traffic between the two countries likely to exceed last year's total of 25.14 million. (Yonhap)


Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Korea Herald
K-seafood exports stay afloat, but tariffs weigh on growth
Gim, or dried seaweed, drives US exports, but momentum weakens amid tariff hikes Korean seafood export growth slowed between January and April, burdened by US tariff pressures, with an uncertain outlook as added duties to stricter non-tariff measures loom. In the first four months of 2025, Korea exported $1.05 billion worth of seafood, a 3.7 percent increase from a year earlier, according to data from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Maritime Institute. Exports to the US, Korea's third-largest destination after Japan and China, also maintained growth, with shipments rising 6.7 percent to $186.6 million. Despite the uptick, however, this figure marks a slowdown compared to the 11.7 percent increase recorded during the same period in 2024. The main driver behind Korean seafood exports to the US was dried seaweed, or gim in Korean, long favored by American consumers as a snack and a staple in dishes like gimbap. Gim alone accounted for nearly 45 percent of all US-bound seafood exports last year, totaling more than $213 million. Yet minor cracks in the export momentum have begun to appear. While gim exports to the US surged 21.7 percent on-year to $57.95 million during the January–March period, growth slowed in April, the first month after a 10 percent baseline tariff took effect under the Trump administration. That month, shipments rose just 13.9 percent to $24.2 million. According to the ministry, other items, including flatfish, fish cakes and oysters, have also experienced slower growth in the wake of US tariffs. The dampened growth has added to industry concerns over an additional 15 percent tariff set to take effect on July 8. A recent report by the Korea Maritime Institute estimated that such a move could shrink Korea's annual seafood exports to the US by up to 3.65 percent. This contrasts sharply with the 12.7 percent annual growth recorded between 2020 and 2024. Beyond tariffs, non-tariff barriers could put K-seafood exports at risk. On April 17, President Donald Trump signed an executive order titled Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, aimed at making the US the global seafood leader. 'Nearly 90 percent of seafood on our shelves is now imported, and the seafood trade deficit stands at over $20 billion,' the statement read. 'The erosion of American seafood competitiveness at the hands of unfair foreign trade practices must end.' The order includes provisions to investigate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and to assess the presence of forced labor in foreign seafood supply chains, steps that could place Korean products under further regulatory scrutiny. In early April, the US Customs and Border Protection issued a Withhold Release Order against Taepyung Salt Farm in Sinan, South Jeolla Province, citing forced labor violations under 19 USC 1307. To ensure a prompt response to US trade and tariff issues, the oceans ministry launched an interagency task force in late April, focused on assessing the impact of tariffs and executive orders on seafood exports, while exploring strategies to diversify export markets. 'The US is a key export market for Korean seafood, particularly for gim, mainly exported as seasoned seaweed,' said Oceans Minister Kang Do-hyung. 'We will respond swiftly and proactively to trade issues in coordination with relevant ministries to minimize the disruption to the seafood industry.'


Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
More picks made for Lee's presidential office
President Lee Jae-myung on Friday continued to round out his policy team with more appointments of aides. Kang Hoon-sik, the chief of staff to Lee, told a briefing that former vice finance minister, Kim Yong-beom, has been tapped to serve as presidential chief of staff for policy. Kang said Ha Joon-kyung, a professor of economics at Hanyang University, was appointed as senior presidential secretary for economic growth, and Moon Jin-young, a professor of social welfare studies at Sogang University, as senior presidential secretary for social affairs. Kang said the presidential secretary for gender equality, a post eliminated under the last administration, would be reinstated. A new post of a presidential secretary in charge of maritime trade affairs would be instituted, Kang added. Expanding the country's trade opportunities with the opening up of Arctic routes had been one of Lee's key pledges as candidate.