Ministry of Foreign Affairs Holds Video Conference with Korean Deep-Sea Shipping Company in Gulf of Guinea... "Establishing Government-Level Safety Measures"

Over 140 Korean Fishers Operating in Gulf of Guinea Waters Including Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Benin Declared

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the afternoon of the 29th that it held a virtual meeting titled ‘Guinea Gulf Fishing Operations Korean Distant-water Fisheries Industry Meeting,’ chaired by Ko Kyung-seok, Director General of the Africa and Middle East Bureau, to exchange opinions on maritime security in the Guinea Gulf.

The meeting was attended by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, the Korea Distant-water Fisheries Association, the Korea-Africa Foundation, and major distant-water fishing companies operating in the Guinea Gulf and surrounding waters. Approximately 140 Korean crew members are currently fishing in the Guinea Gulf waters, including Nigeria, Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs exchanged opinions with the distant-water fisheries industry to explore measures to prevent recurrence of similar incidents amid the recent frequent abduction cases. The Guinea Gulf has become a high-risk maritime area with the highest number of crew abductions worldwide this year, with three recent cases of Korean crew abductions. As of the first half of 2020, 49 out of 54 (91%) crew abduction victims occurred in the Guinea Gulf.

Director General Ko Kyung-seok introduced the current government measures to prevent harm to Korean nationals in the Guinea Gulf waters and urged the distant-water fisheries industry to operate with heightened awareness and safety. In response, representatives from Korean distant-water fishing companies stated that they are complying with the government’s established anti-piracy measures and are working on self-initiated countermeasures such as considering the installation of safe zones on board to prevent recurrence of similar incidents, while proposing various measures to create safe fishing conditions along the Guinea Gulf coast.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "The opinions heard from the distant-water fisheries industry at this ‘West Africa Guinea Gulf Fishing Operations Distant-water Fisheries Industry Meeting’ will be shared with overseas diplomatic missions and related agencies and used as a reference for establishing government-level safety measures."