What will it take for Busan's maritime commercial court to succeed?

A forum was held Tuesday to discuss how to ensure the successful launch of the Busan Maritime International Commercial Court, which is set to open in March 2028.

The Maritime Capital Busan Development Council, the Busan Bar Association and the Busan Maritime International Commercial Court Development Council co-hosted the "2026 Busan Maritime International Commercial Forum" at the convention hall of Busan City Hotel in Dong-gu on Tuesday afternoon. The forum focused on directions and challenges for the court's successful operation.

Co-organized by the Korea Maritime and Ocean University Graduate School of Maritime Law and the law schools of Pusan National University and Dong-A University, and sponsored by the city of Busan and BNK Busan Bank, the forum opened with a welcoming address by Busan Bar Association President Kim Yong-min, a video congratulatory message from Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-soo, and remarks by Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Yang Jae-saeng.

The first presenter, Park Moon-hak, chair of the Busan Bar Association's special committee on maritime and international commercial affairs, spoke on the prerequisites for Busan to become a hub for maritime litigation. He compared the caseloads, policies on foreign judges and lawyers, and use of electronic proceedings at major international commercial courts — including England's Commercial Court, the Singapore International Commercial Court and the Dubai International Financial Centre Courts — and proposed forum selling targeting East Asia, the formation of a foreign law advisory committee, and the introduction of an in rem action regime for ship arrests as measures to attract cases.

Choi Seong-su, an emeritus professor at Dong-A University School of Law, delivered the second presentation on how to prepare for international commercial cases. "Unlike maritime cases, international commercial cases are competitive in nature — parties must choose to bring them here," he said. "These are not cases that come to you; they must be won through international competition."

He categorized overseas international commercial courts — in Singapore, Dubai, the Netherlands and China — into three models: investment and financial hub, international litigation hub, and national strategy. He identified the key success factors as securing internationality and neutrality, expertise and predictability, procedural flexibility, capacity to conduct proceedings in English and apply foreign law, international enforceability of rulings, and cooperation with arbitration bodies.

He also outlined six core tasks the Busan Maritime International Commercial Court should address before it opens: securing specialized adjudication capacity, establishing internationally friendly court procedures, creating an English-language court environment, building a cooperative framework with international arbitration institutions, laying the groundwork for case attraction and outreach, and strengthening the basis for international recognition and enforcement of rulings.

Jeong Yeong-seok, a professor at Korea Maritime and Ocean University's Department of Maritime Law, presented on training specialized maritime legal professionals and the roles of the city of Busan, universities, the legal community and civil society. "The years 2026 to 2028 — when the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries' relocation to Busan, the headquarters transfers of shipping companies, and the opening of the maritime international commercial court all converge — represent the golden window for building a maritime legal talent ecosystem," he said.

He presented statistics showing that Korea's maritime arbitration caseload lags far behind that of the United Kingdom and China, and proposed a four-way cooperation model involving the city of Busan, universities, the legal profession and civil society. The model calls for establishing graduate programs integrating maritime law, international commercial law and arbitration practice, promoting specialization and scale among law firms, and providing settlement support from the city of Busan.

In the discussion session, Busan Bar Association President Kim reflected on the historical significance of the court's opening and expressed commitment to training specialist lawyers and strengthening international cooperation. Park Jae-yul, co-chair of the Maritime Capital Busan Development Council, said Busan and Incheon should divide responsibilities by region and called for Busan to build a distinctive brand of its own.

Moon Hee-young, head of the legal affairs division at Busan Bank, said the scope of maritime civil cases subject to the court's jurisdiction — including ship finance — should be clearly defined through Supreme Court rules, and that supplementary measures were needed, such as including Busan jurisdiction clauses in policy finance agreements when jurisdictional conflicts arise. Choi Do-su, a managing director at UIB Korea, called for talent development, the creation of a maritime and knowledge infrastructure cluster, and the adoption of an advanced judicial system based on a smart court model.