– ACRC hosts a panel discussion on institutional improvement for “ways of rationalizing the employment of foreign seafarers.”

A place for discussion on measures for institutional improvement will be organized to address issues related to the employment of foreign seafarers in the era of low birth rates and an aging population.

The Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission (ACRC, Chairperson Kim Hong-Il) will host a panel discussion at “Space share,” located near Seoul Station, at 10 a.m. on July 7, inviting experts from relevant organizations, including the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), Korea Shipping Association, National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, and Federation of Korean Seafarers’ Union.

The discussion aims to lay the foundation for the advancement of the marine and fishery industry by resolving issues regarding the supply and demand of seafarers manpower in industrial fields resulting from the sharp decline in the working-age population due to low birth rates and an aging population and bridging the opinion gap between labor and management related to such issue.

The marine and fishery industry is currently one of the industries that people tend to avoid, where the number of seafarers is continuously decreasing, and has no choice but to depend on foreign seafarers.

According to the Korea Seafarer’s Statistical Yearbook, as of late 2021, the number of seafarers employed in Korea reached 59,843, among which 27,333 were foreign seafarers, accounting for nearly half the total.

However, some have pointed out that the legal basis for the “Guidelines of Foreign Seafarers Management,” which stipulate decisions regarding the size of employment of foreign seafarers or employment reporting, remains unclear, and relevant shipowner groups* and seafarers’ unions in Korea** have been reaching agreements prior to the government’s policy decisions, resulting in mutual conflicts.