Holding Regional Forums on Measures to Revitalize Diminishing Fishing Villages

 

 - Engaging in in-depth communication with fishing village residents and repatriating fishermen to further improve the Comprehensive Plan for Revitalizing Fishing Villages and Coastal Areas

 

 - Series of three regional open forums (Talk Concerts) to be hosted by Minister Kang Do-Hyung of Oceans and Fisheries, with the first to be held at Gyeongnam School for Returning Fishermen in Tongyeong 

 

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Minister Kang Do-Hyung) will be hosting an open forum on February 28th (Wednesday) at the Gyeongnam School for Returning Fishermen in Tongyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, to engage fishing village residents, returning fishermen, tourists, and experts in discussions on identifying realistic and urgent policy ideas to prevent the disappearance of fishing villages and coastal areas.

 

 Despite their high potential for future growth, fishing villages and coastal communities are in danger of disappearance due to a steady decline in the fishing population* and accelerating aging**. In response, Minister Kang Do-Hyung of Oceans and Fisheries has emphasized the importance of drafting differentiated policy measures to revitalize such villages and communities and has designated the Comprehensive Plan for Revitalizing Fishing Villages and Coastal Areas as the first task of the Marine and Fisheries Civil Livelihood Reform Task Force Team.

 

 * Fishing population: (2000) 250,000 → (2010) 170,000 → (2022) 90,000 (36% vs 2000)

 ** Aging rate (nationwide/fishing villages): (2010) 9.1%/23.1% → (2015) 13.1%/30.5% → (2022) 18%/44.2%

 

 This comprehensive plan covers not only existing fishing villages but also coastal areas to fully utilize the potential of the sea. The plan will contain various policy actions to revitalize fishing villages and coastal areas, ranging from processing and distribution of fisheries and marine leisure and tourism to coastal development that will improve settlement conditions, create quality jobs and stable sources of income, and revitalize marine tourism.

 

 The event is designed to ensure that the the actual voices of people on the ground are reflected in the comprehensive plan, and the first event in the series, titled “Returning Salmon Talk*,” will be held in the Southern Sea region.

 

 * Salmon (pronounced yeon-eo in Korean) is a migratory fish that returns to its home river from the sea as it becomes an adult. Also, it has recently been loved by the public as a high-value fish species. Thus, the concert was named Yeon-eo Talk (Salmon Talk), an acronym created by combining “yeon,” meaning coast; “eo,” meaning fishing village; and “talk” to emphasize communication.

 

 During the forum, Minister Kang will engage in direct communication with various participants, including fishermen, those returning to fishing communities, tourists, and experts to discuss ways to revitalize villages with repatriating populations by leveraging fish farms and on-board fishing operations.

 

 Furthermore, to drive accelerated adoption of relevant policies, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will hold the talk concerts series every one to two weeks, discussing ideas to leverage the beaches to create preferred destinations for revitalizing marine leisure and tourism in the eastern sea region, as well as spread the sixth industrialization* plan in the western sea region to create added value leveraging experience tours of tidal flats.

 

 * Creating added value by combining: Production (1st) – processing and distribution (2nd) – experience and tourism (3rd) (1×2×3=6)

 

 The series of forums will be streamed live via the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries YouTube channel (Eoseo Ocean (어서오션), www.youtube.com/@koreamof), allowing real-time communication via the live chat feature.