[Reporter’s Notebook] Busan Era Begins for Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Without a Leader

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries officially opened its new headquarters in Busan on December 23, amid both expectations for a "leap toward becoming a global maritime capital" and concerns over "weakened administrative efficiency." This move comes about six months after President Lee Jaemyung, at his first Cabinet meeting on June 5 this year, ordered the ministry's swift relocation to Busan. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is the first central government ministry to relocate independently to Busan in 30 years.

The absence of a minister is amplifying concerns at a time when both hopes and worries about the relocation persist. Former Minister Jeon Jaesoo resigned from his post on December 11, denying allegations of receiving money from the Unification Church but stating, "Stepping down from the ministerial position and responding with integrity is the right conduct for a public official." As a result, the ministry now faces the challenge of carrying out major tasks-such as establishing Busan as a maritime capital and pioneering a Korean Arctic route-without a leader at the helm.

The ministry is also facing concerns that the momentum for follow-up measures after the relocation-such as moving the HMM headquarters to Busan and establishing the Southeast Region Investment Corporation, both initiatives led by former Minister Jeon-may be weakening. The government plans to relocate not only affiliated public institutions currently in Sejong but also the headquarters of HMM, a major shipping and logistics company, to Busan. The aim is to maximize the impact of the relocation by concentrating policy and execution functions in Busan, and former Minister Jeon had been actively communicating with the HMM labor union and leading these efforts. Additionally, during his tenure, the ministry announced that it would unveil a "roadmap for the relocation of maritime and fisheries public institutions" in mid-January next year, but this is now inevitably delayed.

To accomplish its medium- and long-term goals-such as establishing Busan as a maritime capital and pioneering a Korean Arctic route-the ministry urgently needs organizational stability. The ministry began moving its offices to Busan on December 8, and most of the office setup has been completed. However, the relocation is only halfway done. More than half of the ministry's employees have yet to move personally. According to the ministry's labor union, out of 850 employees, 693 (excluding those on leave or secondment) are working in Busan. Yet, as of last weekend, only about 40% of eligible employees had actually moved to Busan. The union expects that even by the end of this weekend, only about 50% of the employees will have completed their move. Furthermore, only 30% of those relocating plan to settle in Busan with their families, while the remaining 70% will have to live alone in the city. The government must make greater efforts to ensure housing stability for staff so that they can work in Busan with peace of mind.

The era of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries in Busan has already begun. Now, it must deliver results. We hope that the follow-up measures for the ministry's relocation to Busan under the Lee Jaemyung administration will proceed without setbacks-not as a "political calculation aimed at next year's local elections," but as "the first step toward securing Korea's future competitiveness" through the establishment of a maritime capital and the development of a Korean Arctic route.