(Unofficial translation)

Fellow Koreans and Chungcheongnam-do Province residents, 

I am pleased to present an innovative strategy for new maritime and fishing industries in Chungcheongnam-do, the nexus of the Pan Yellow Sea Economic Bloc.

Chungcheongnam-do is the province of openness and exchanges. The ancient Baekje Kingdom was already adopting aspects of new civilizations as far back as 2,000 years ago – culminating in the blossoming of culture in Buyeo and Gongju – and transmitting them to Japan. Provincial residents’ pride in this advanced culture and their social consciousness have served as the driving force generating countless patriots and scholar officials loyal to their monarch.

Chungcheongnam-do is now poised to rise once again as the focal point of a pan-Yellow Sea maritime economic bloc, inheriting the vision of Baekje, the hub of ancient maritime exchanges.  

As Chungcheongnam-do is in close proximity to the Seoul metro area and faces China across the sea, it has tremendous trade and investment potential. Establishment of the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea and a national eco-industrial park has made it possible to closely connect marine ecosystem research with relevant industries. Here in Chungcheongnam-do, there are numerous businesses leading marine biotechnology, which will become a future growth engine. In addition, this west coast province is rich in marine tourism resources, including the world’s fifth largest mudflats and Garorim Bay, Korea’s only marine species reserve. 

More than anything else, Chungcheongnam-do’s determination to open the door to the future through the sea is its most remarkable attribute. The Government, for its part, will back the province’s resolve with active support.

Residents of Chungcheongnam-do, 

The sea is our future. 

The importance of the sea is gradually growing – not only for such traditional maritime industries as shipping and fishery but also for energy, the environment, tourism, maritime healing, marine biotechnology and arctic field research. The volume of new marine industries’ global market is rapidly growing at a rate of 8.5 percent per year. Moreover, Chungcheongnam-do is in possession of the optimum conditions for new marine industries. 

The Government has thus far worked to invigorate marine industries, infuse vitality into fishing communities and keep the sea clean. 

On Maritime Day in May 2017, I promised to revive the shipping industry. Following that, a five-year plan to rebuild the shipping industry was formulated and the Korea Ocean Business Corporation was launched. Financial assistance has also been provided in the amount of 640 billion won in connection with 20 ultra-large container ships. As a result, oceangoing shipping companies had a sharp increase in sales, from 29 trillion won in 2016 to 34 trillion won last year.

We have also launched the “Fishing Village New Deal 300” project to improve residential conditions in fishing communities and are pushing ahead with the “Fisheries Innovation 2030” project to promote fishing industry innovation. Through these projects, we will usher in an era where fishing industry sales reach 100 trillion won by 2030 with an average fishing household income of 80 million won. 

In addition, we have declared this year to be year one in a campaign for zero plastic waste in oceans. We will strive to reduce plastic waste 50 percent by 2030 and revive our seas which are now suffering from marine debris.

The flagship areas of our maritime industry are already world-class with global rankings of 4th in port container traffic, 5th in shipping volume and 7th in aquaculture production. On top of this, we have vast maritime jurisdictional zones that are 4.4 times our country’s land area and maritime resources that are globally unmatched in terms of marine biodiversity. Our country is also equipped with advanced capabilities for the new industries related to marine biotechnology and energy.

The Government will bring these capabilities together to build our country a maritime-rich global power through the new maritime and fishing industry innovation strategy.

First, we will actively foster five key maritime industries such as marine biotechnology, marine tourism, eco-friendly ships, advanced marine equipment and marine energy.

We will expand the market for new marine industries – which is currently valued at about 3 trillion won – to reach around 11 trillion won by 2030 and will identify and help promote 20 “ocean stellar firms,” maritime startups with sales of over 100 billion won, by 2030.

We will build a maritime bioindustry cluster that will attract promising companies and talented individuals and will secure marine resources by expanding the scope of coastal-centered maritime surveys out into our exclusive economic zone. We will also promote marine tourism by utilizing various resources such as the mudflats in Boryeong and the recreational black pine forests in Taean and Seocheon, thereby spurring regional development.

We will also provide full support for advanced maritime equipment, marine energy production and eco-friendly ships, such as underwater construction robots, tidal current power generation systems and LNG ships, respectively.
 
Second, we will make the existing maritime industry more intelligent.

The Government will establish smart ports and develop autonomous navigating ships, thereby further strengthening the competitiveness of Korea’s shipping and port industries. It will also protect safety at sea and help the industry advance into the global market by adopting an intelligent maritime transportation information service. 

We will also encourage private sector investment in the maritime and fishing industries through this year’s newly created maritime fund of funds. We will also actively support smart aquaculture that combines big data and artificial intelligence in order to secure the lead in the global market.   

The source of the nation’s maritime power is science and technology. Maritime and fishery R&D, which now accounts for 3 percent of the country’s entire R&D spending, will be increased to 5 percent or 1 trillion won by 2022. 

Chungcheongnam-do residents, 

Chungcheongnam-do is being born again as a center of innovative growth that represents the Republic of Korea both in name and reality. 

Today, I visited the site where Samsung Display announced its new investment plan. Chungcheongnam-do is working with the private sector on innovation while pushing ahead with its project to establish an innovative display manufacturing process.   

Chungcheongnam-do’s innovation efforts will be a great driving force for strengthening the competitiveness of the display industry and achieving self-sufficiency in related materials, parts and equipment. It will also demonstrate its capabilities in new maritime industries.   

In 2007, the Taean oil spill was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and I will never be able to forget it. At that time, Taean was covered by a black disaster, and it was reported that it would take at least 20 years to return to its prior state. 

However, the people pooled their strength as 1.23 million volunteers, and Chungcheongnam-do residents revived the sea in the end.   

When I returned to Taean two years ago, paths created for the oil cleanup had already been transformed into coastal walkways full of the scent of pines, and the sea was filled with life. 

Chungcheongnam-do created the Miracle of the West Sea that took the world by surprise. I call upon you to once more summon that strength to find hope for our economy within the sea. The Government will also provide vigorous encouragement and support. 

Thank you.