- The 26th National Oceans Day to be held at Jisepo Marine Park, Geoje on Jun. 4, 2021. -

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister MOON, Seong-Hyeok) announces to hold an official celebration on the 26th National Oceans Day under the theme of “Living Ocean, Liveable Fishing Village, Lively Economy”. The ceremony is arranged to take place at Jisepo Marine Park in Geoje, at 11:10 a.m. on Jun. 4, 2021.

Designated in 1996, the National Oceans Day (May 31) is an annual celebration to raise awareness of the significance the oceans hold in our daily lives; and extol the virtues of a sense of pride running deep in oceans and fisheries community. This year’s ceremony is exceptionally rescheduled, as 20201 P4G Seoul Summit is scheduled to take place on the same day (From May 30 to 31, 2021).

The 26th National Oceans Day is to be arranged both offline and online to minimize chances of further spread of the virus. Only the limited number of invitees is expected to attend the ceremony in person, strictly complying with the COVID-19 preventive rules. The following figures have been invited to celebrate the occasion in person; Prime Minister KIM, Bu-gyeom; Minister MOON, Seong-Hyeok of Oceans and Fisheries; Governor KIM, Gyeong-su of Gyeongsangnam-do Province; Mayor BYEON, Gwang-yong of Geoje; and the leaders of fishing village fraternities.

As the National Oceans Day is regarded to be the most renown occasion within the community, the rest of the 250 invitees can celebrate the occasion in a virtual manner. Congratulatory remarks from prominent figures from home and abroad, including Secretary-Generals of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Hydrographic Organization (IHO); Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City; and Governor of Chungcheongnam-do Province, are arranged to be delivered via the online platform.

The award ceremony is arranged for 6 winners for the Orders of Merit and citations. The laureate of the Gold Tower of the Order of Industrial Service Merit falls on CEO BYUN, Jae-chul of JSM International Ltd. He earns this highest honor in recognition of his 55-year contributions to enhancing the prestige of the Korea’s shipping industry by nurturing qualified seafarers and conducting foreign seafarers’ exchange program. Apart from the on-site ceremony, 40 others are cited for prizes respectively, on their achievements in the fields of oceans and fisheries.

On top of that, the partnership ceremony for “Adopt-a-Beach project” is arranged as well, where MOF and Gyeongsangnam-do Province sign an bilateral agreement to protect the marine environment via building the partnership between public and private sectors. With the agreement, the Province takes charge of practical work of the project such as selecting target areas and disposing of waste collected from beach clean-up activity. The MOF covers any administrative support of the project including program manual, promotion event and reward system for participants.

Other events are also attractive enough to be enjoyed by the invitees. The front coast of the venue demonstrates pieces of marine leisure equipment such as dinghy yacht, jet-ski and fly-board. An exhibition event shall not be missed. Geoje Shipbuilding Marine Cultural Center welcomes visitors to come by offering a special exhibition entitled as “high technologies ushering in a new era in the marine industry”. For 10 days to Jun. 13, the program will display marine vehicles with cutting-edge technologies including seabed exploration robot and unmanned submergence vehicle & boat.

Minister MOON, Seong-Hyeok of Oceans and Fisheries highlighted the significance of the oceans in his remark, citing “We can discover ample opportunities and untapped potential in the oceans where the present and future exist at the same time”. He then added, “As the Minister in charge, I will remain committed to achieving the carbon neutrality as well as making Korea the leader in the fields of oceans and fisheries via implementing green ships and utilizing state-of-the-art technologies in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution”.