South Korea will pilot a 3,000-TEU container ship voyage from Busan to Rotterdam via the Northern Sea Route next summer as part of wider maritime reforms, reports Seoul's ChusunBiz.

Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kim Seong-beom announced the plan during a presidential policy briefing in Busan. The ministry will also localise technology to build ice-strengthened and icebreaking container ships.

A marine capital area development strategy will be unveiled in the first half of 2026, with a marine cluster formed in the southeast to group corporations, public institutions and a maritime court.

Fisheries production will be restructured to reflect climate change. The ministry plans to cut 40 per cent of coastal and offshore vessels over five years to reduce the fleet size relative to resources.

Aquaculture will be expanded through smartisation and scaling up. New sites will be identified in the open sea and East Sea, with designated smart aquaculture zones to drive growth.

To modernise seafood distribution, the government will introduce an onboard auction system using artificial intelligence to sell catches immediately.

Penalties for illegal fishing by Chinese vessels will rise from KRW3 billion (US$2.07 million) KRW10 billion. The response will shift from expulsion to seizure, with offenders punished in Korea before being handed to China for further action.

Mr Kim said the administration had already completed the transfer of the ministry to Busan and achieved record seafood exports, pledging further tangible results to support balanced national development.