Read Time:54 Second

Korea will work to open a regular shipping route connecting the country with Europe through the Arctic region in 2030 under a broader government initiative aimed at transforming the southeastern region into a global maritime hub, the oceans ministry said Tuesday. The government has been pushing to develop the southeastern port city of Busan and the surrounding region into a global maritime hub with the anticipated expansion of Arctic shipping routes. To this end, the government plans to conduct a pilot operation of a container vessel from Busan to Rotterdam in the Netherlands via the Arctic route in September, with a goal of starting regular operations of a Korea-Europe shipping route through the Arctic in 2030. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries unveiled the plan during a Cabinet meeting held earlier in the day. Under the initiative, the ministry said it will work to transform Busan into a global maritime business hub, its neighboring city of Ulsan into an eco-friendly energy hub and the surrounding South Gyeongsang Province into a global supply chain hub with leading manufacturing a