MOF , ME Join Forces to Solve Marine Waste and Climate Crisis Problems

 

- MOF and ME visit waste fishing gear collection sites and floating waste management sites for on-site inspection

 

- Signing of bilateral MOU for sustainable environmental conservation on land and sea

 

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) and the Ministry of Environment (ME; Minister Kim Wan-sup) announced on Friday, January 17 that they would sign an MOU for sustainable environmental conservation on land and sea at the Geumgang Project Group’s Conference Room of the Korea Rural Community Corporation (KRC) in Gunsan, Jeonbuk-do.

 

 By signing this MOU, the two ministries plan to strengthen mutual cooperation in various fields, including △ climate adaptation cooperation to respond effectively to the impact of the climate crisis on the marine and fisheries sectors, △ establishment of joint response measures to solve the marine waste problem, and △ promotion of resource circulation by expanding marine waste recycling.

 

 Moreover, on the day of signing, the ministers will directly inspect the marine waste sites and discuss specific cooperation measures. First, they will visit Hongwon Port in Seocheon-gun, Chungcheongnam-do to inspect the current status of waste fishing gear generation—which accounts for the largest portion of waste generated at sea—and discuss ways to expand recycling. MOF will expand the fishing gear deposit system to increase fishing gear recycling, and ME will provide government subsidies supported by the national treasury for the installation of municipal preprocessing facilities to ensure the smooth recycling of recovered waste fishing gear. The two ministries plan to sponsor R&D on waste fishing gear jointly.

 

 Next, the two ministers will visit the Geumgang Estuary Dam site in Gunsan, Jeonbuk-do to receive reports from the relevant organizations including the Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-water) and the Korea Marine Environment Management Corporation (KOEM) on the current status of floating waste flowing into the ocean from rivers and dams, and discuss future response measures.

 

 MOF and ME plan to operate a pilot waste interception facility in rivers bordering the sea starting this year and a modernized interception facility at Yongdam Dam in the upper reaches of Geumgang River to prevent floating waste from flowing downstream from the dam. Based on these results, they plan to develop effective measures to reduce floating waste.

 

 “The signing of this MOU is a historic opportunity where MOF and ME pledge to cooperate firmly. We will continue to develop policies that the public can feel in response to the climate crisis, including the issue of marine waste,” Minister Kang Do-hyung said.

 

 According to Minister Kim Wan-sup, cooperation between MOF and ME will be an important foundation for resolving current issues such as climate change and waste management. "We will conduct regular reviews through the ministerial consultative body and produce tangible results,” he promised.