Maritime Safety at Risk in Southern Jeonnam Coast: "Goheung Maritime Police Station Needed"

Distress, Crime, and Accidents Top the List in Yeosu Station’s Jurisdiction
Rising Security Demand as Yeosu and Gwangyang Ports Become Arctic Route Hubs
41.9% of Fishing Vessel Casualties Occur in South Jeolla Waters
Moon Geumju: "Dividing Yeosu Maritime Police Responsibilities Is a Necessity, Not a Choice"

Geum Joo Moon, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

With the security vacuum in the southern coastal waters of South Jeolla Province, where maritime accidents are frequent, growing more severe, there have been calls stressing that establishing a new Goheung Maritime Police Station is inevitable to address the issue.

On October 22, Moon Geumju, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Goheung, Boseong, Jangheung, and Gangjin in South Jeolla Province, analyzed the "Study on the Necessity of Establishing New Maritime Police Stations and Development of Efficiency Models" submitted by the Korea Coast Guard. The analysis revealed that the jurisdiction of the Yeosu Maritime Police Station (hereafter Yeosu Station) faces the highest level of maritime security demand nationwide and is overloaded, raising concerns about the safety of local residents.

According to the study, the Yeosu Station’s jurisdiction ranked among the highest nationwide in nearly every maritime security indicator: 2nd in distress incidents, 2nd in vessel accidents, 2nd in vessel arrivals and departures, 1st in crime occurrence, 1st in crime apprehension, and 2nd in maritime passenger traffic.

In particular, of the nationwide maritime casualties (305 deaths, 123 missing, and 1,593 injured) that occurred between 2019 and 2023, 64.9% were due to fishing vessel accidents, and 41.9% of these fishing vessel accidents took place in the waters off South Jeolla Province.

This situation is expected to worsen, as Yeosu and Gwangyang Ports are planned to serve as key hubs for the Arctic shipping route. The Korea Coast Guard’s own research also raised the necessity of establishing a Goheung Maritime Police Station, concluding that, unlike Mokpo or Gangneung, which had previously been considered, dispersing the security demand currently concentrated at Yeosu Station is the most urgent priority. Due to the vast jurisdiction and heavy workload of Yeosu Station, it is currently difficult to respond quickly to accidents, putting the golden time for rescue operations at risk.

Moon stated, "Yeosu and Gwangyang Ports are core hubs for the era of the Arctic shipping route, and the volume of cargo and vessel traffic in these areas will increase exponentially in the future. With the current system, it will be difficult to respond to the rising number of maritime accidents, leading to a vicious cycle where accidents increase and rescues are delayed."

Moon further emphasized, "Given the high security demand in the southern coastal region of South Jeolla Province, establishing a Goheung Maritime Police Station to divide the responsibilities of Yeosu Station is not a choice but a necessity. Goheung is the optimal location for immediate response to maritime rescue, search, and disaster prevention in the southern coastal region. The government must move forward with establishing the Goheung station before it is too late."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.