New Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do-hyung: "Will Make Every Effort to Ensure Seafood Safety and Manage Prices"

Kang Do-hyung, the newly appointed Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, stated on the 29th as his inaugural remark, "We will devote all efforts to seafood safety and price management."

Minister Kang, who took office that day, said, "Science has proven that our seas and seafood are safe so far, and as a scientist myself, I can guarantee this," adding, "We will further strengthen the safety management system and provide the public with safe seas and seafood through objective and scientific data."

Gang Do-hyeong, nominee for Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, is responding to questions from lawmakers at the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 19th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

He expressed his determination for stable price management. He emphasized, "We will firmly manage the still high seafood prices," and added, "By expanding the quantities directly secured by the government and releasing them in a timely manner, and by holding discount events every month through online and offline marts, we will ensure that the public and consumers can enjoy safe seafood at reasonable prices."

Along with this, Minister Kang plans to strengthen support for the happy lives of fishermen and residents of fishing villages and islands. He explained, "The Fishing Village New Vitality Promotion Project, which establishes living, economic, and safety infrastructure in fishing villages, will be systematically promoted with priority given to ensuring that necessary support is provided to the regions," and added, "We will also introduce new policies such as creating special zones to encourage active private investment in fishing villages, and promptly prepare various support measures in consultation with related ministries."

He also promised to advance port logistics services to drive Korea's export economy, as 99.7% of the country's foreign trade depends on maritime routes. Minister Kang said, "We will expand terminals and logistics centers operated by Korea at major overseas ports and logistics hubs to create a wide playground where our companies can operate with peace of mind," and added, "Furthermore, during the global shipping downturn, we will strengthen various supports such as financial and tax assistance to ensure that national shipping companies, which are the backbone of the export-import economy, can manage stably."

The fisheries industry will be nurtured into a future growth industry through innovation and openness. Minister Kang stated, "For the fishing sector, which is one pillar of the fisheries industry, we will boldly ease regulations but assign quotas to all fishing vessels to increase autonomy and responsibility," and said, "For aquaculture, we will create a smart aquaculture cluster and promote aquaculture farm leasing projects to create an environment where young people can take on challenges."