Korea Ocean Business Corp. distributes 620 life jackets to fishers in South Jeolla

Korea Ocean Business Corp. announced Friday that it has delivered 620 auto-inflating life jackets — worth about 60 million won ($44,900) — to fishers in Yeongam-gun, Sinan-gun, Muan-gun and other areas of the Jeolla region, in partnership with Hope Bridge National Disaster Relief Association.

The distribution aimed to strengthen the ability of vulnerable fishing community members, who often struggle to afford safety equipment, to respond to maritime accidents and prevent casualties. It also aligns with tightened fishing vessel safety regulations, including a legal amendment mandating that all crew members aboard fishing vessels wear life jackets.

Under the Fishing Vessel Safe Operation and Crew Safety and Health Promotion Act, the requirement for all fishing vessel crew members to wear life jackets took full effect July 1. Even vessels with two or fewer crew members must comply regardless of whether a weather advisory is in effect.

The distributed vests inflate automatically upon water entry, making them suitable for elderly fishers and solo operators. All items are certified by the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority and come with maritime safety guidelines. The jackets were allocated based on demand — 100 to Yeongam-gun, 200 to Sinan-gun and 320 to Muan-gun — targeting bare-hand fishers, aquaculture workers, elderly operators and new entrants to the industry.

"Our corporation will do its utmost to create a safe working environment that protects the lives of fishers," said An Byeong-gil, president of Korea Ocean Business Corp. "We hope this support helps raise safety awareness among fishers and contributes to a safer operating environment."