Kim Hyungyeom, Chairman of the comprehensive shipping and logistics company PanStar Group, received the Grand Prize in the Marine and Fisheries category at the 26th Busan Culture Awards ceremony held on the 16th, co-hosted by Busan MBC and BNK Busan Bank.
Chairman Kim was recognized for his contributions to expanding human and material exchanges and fostering goodwill between Korea and Japan by operating the ferry PanStar Dream between Busan and Osaka since 2002, as well as for leading the development of Korea's cruise industry.
Chairman Kim was the first to introduce the cruise concept in Korea by combining onboard travel experiences with the PanStar Dream, presenting a Korean-style cruise model and developing various products such as the Osaka Cruise, Busan One Night Cruise, and Namhaean Cruise.
Since 2007, he has also operated authentic cruises using large cruise ships from Italy's Costa Cruises, with Busan as the home port and itineraries including Japan, Taiwan, and other destinations.
In addition, for the first time in Korea, he newly built the 22,000-ton luxury cruise ferry 'PanStar Miracle,' featuring five-star hotel-level interiors and various amenities, which began service on the 13th, setting a new milestone for the domestic cruise industry and ushering in an era of premium ship travel.
Chairman Kim stated, "Going forward, I will focus on building authentic cruise ships and developing PanStar into a leading global cruise company representing Asia."
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