South Korea moves to build pan-government framework for Arctic shipping route era

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries is laying the groundwork for a pan-government framework to develop the Arctic shipping route, drafting detailed operational rules for a special law set to take effect in December. The rules — covering the Arctic Route Committee's structure, the designation of support centers and the process for drawing up a master plan — will be the first of their kind under the new legislation.

The ministry announced Monday that it will open a public comment period from Tuesday through Sept. 21 on a proposed enforcement decree for the Special Act on Promoting the Use of Arctic Shipping Routes and Fostering Related Industries.

The special act was promulgated in June to prepare South Korea for the Arctic shipping route era and to develop the maritime industry in the southeastern region as a new growth engine. It takes effect Dec. 17.

The draft decree fills in details delegated to presidential order under the act. It sets out how the Arctic Route Committee — chaired by the prime minister — and a working-level committee chaired by the vice minister of oceans and fisheries will operate, along with procedures for establishing master and implementation plans and the scope of fact-finding surveys.

The decree also spells out criteria for designating a comprehensive Arctic route support center, defines the scope of related industries and details a program to train specialized personnel for the sector.

The ministry said it expects the decree to lay the foundation for advancing Arctic route policy at a pan-government level.

"This enforcement decree is the first step toward building a pan-government framework to support the use of the Arctic shipping route and the growth of related industries," said Lee Su-ho, head of the ministry's Arctic Route Promotion Headquarters. "We will carefully review all opinions submitted during the public comment period to ensure the law takes effect without a hitch."