Last Year, Average Wage of Overseas Employment Merchant Ship Crew Was 7.66 Million KRW... Overall Average Was 4.93 Million KRW

The Distant-Water Fishing Vessel Ranks 2nd with 7.63 Million Won

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Last year, the average monthly wage of Korean seafarers was found to be 4.93 million KRW.

According to the "2021 Seafarer Statistical Yearbook" released by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on the 30th, the average monthly wage of Korean seafarers last year was 4.93 million KRW, a 4% increase from 4.74 million KRW in 2019. It increased by 35.4% compared to 3.64 million KRW in 2010, ten years ago.

By industry, overseas employment merchant ship seafarers had the highest average monthly wage at 7.66 million KRW, followed by deep-sea fishing vessels (7.63 million KRW), overseas employment fishing vessels (7.32 million KRW), foreign-going vessels (6.14 million KRW), coastal fishing vessels (4.13 million KRW), and domestic vessels (3.96 million KRW).

Last year, the total number of seafarers employed in South Korea was 60,340. Among them, Korean seafarers were counted at 33,565, a decrease of 558 from 2019. Foreign seafarers increased by 444 to 26,775.

By industry, the number of employed seafarers was 13,743 on coastal fishing vessels, accounting for 40.9% of all employed seafarers, followed by foreign-going vessels (8,145; 24.3%), domestic vessels (7,915; 23.6%), overseas employment vessels (2,530; 7.5%), and deep-sea fishing vessels (1,232; 3.7%).

Regarding the employment age of Korean seafarers, those in their 40s and 50s numbered 13,572, accounting for 40.4% of the total, followed by those aged 60 and over (13,350; 39.8%), and those aged 30 and under (6,643; 19.8%).