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Busan Metropolitan City Joins Forces with the National Assembly, Central Government and Industry to Build a Marine MRO and Ship Repair Ecosystem

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that the National Assembly Forum on Building a Marine MRO and Ship Repair Cluster to Open the MASGA Era will be held at 1:30 p.m. on September 3 in the Small Auditorium of the National Assembly Library.

The forum is jointly hosted by Busan Metropolitan City, the Office of National Assembly Member Song Ok-ju and Hanwha Ocean, with support from the Korea Shipowners’ Association.

Approximately 70 participants are expected to attend, including representatives from the National Assembly, relevant central government ministries, Busan Metropolitan City, Hanwha Ocean, the Busan Shipbuilding and Marine Equipment Industry Cooperative and other related organizations, as well as experts from industry and research institutions and members of the public.

The forum has been organized to discuss ways to advance Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation amid the Trump administration’s expansion of cooperation in shipbuilding and naval vessel maintenance, repair and overhaul, or MRO, and the full-scale launch of the MASGA project. It will also address growing demand for eco-friendly vessel retrofits resulting from tighter environmental regulations imposed by the International Maritime Organization, or IMO.

Although Korea possesses world-class shipbuilding capabilities, it has relatively limited specialized infrastructure for repairing large vessels.

Against this backdrop, Busan Metropolitan City plans to explore policy directions for establishing a marine MRO and ship repair cluster by drawing on Busan’s strengths in shipbuilding equipment and port infrastructure, while discussing the need for expanded infrastructure at the national level and support through policy, legislation and budgetary measures.

The forum will begin with an opening ceremony, followed by presentations on marine MRO and ship repair and a panel discussion.

In the first presentation, Kwon Hyo-jae, CEO of COR Energy Insight, will address “Demand for Marine MRO and Eco-Friendly Vessel Retrofits and Related Challenges,” presenting changes in the market arising from the global regulatory environment and strategies for responding to them.

Ahn Seung-hyun, Associate Research Fellow at the Port Industry Research Division of the Korea Maritime Institute, will then present on “Development of a Ship Repair Complex and Promotion of the Marine MRO Industry,” offering recommendations on the need to expand national hub infrastructure and directions for fostering the marine MRO industry.

The panel discussion will be chaired by Yang Jong-seo, Senior Research Fellow at the Overseas Economic Research Institute of the Export-Import Bank of Korea. Experts from central government ministries, local governments and industry will discuss cooperative measures and policy tasks for advancing the marine MRO industry by leveraging Busan’s industrial base.

Park Dong-seok, Director-General of the Advanced Industries Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, will present the “Busan Strategic Master Plan for an Irreplaceable Marine MRO Ecosystem.” Kim Dae-sik, Executive Vice President of Hanwha Ocean, will share views on strengthening the global competitiveness of marine MRO, while Kim Ho-seung, Head of Headquarters at the Busan Shipbuilding and Marine Equipment Industry Cooperative, will focus on support measures for the shipbuilding parts and equipment industry.

In addition, Lee Kyung-hoon, Director at the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, will discuss plans to implement a naval vessel MRO project under the Defense Industry Innovation Cluster. Lee Di-do, Director at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, will address measures to enhance the global competitiveness of naval vessel MRO among small and medium-sized shipbuilders. Woo Bong-chul, Director at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, will discuss the direction of the ship repair complex project at Busan New Port. Together, they will examine cooperative tasks for fostering the marine MRO industry.

Through the forum, Busan Metropolitan City aims to broaden shared understanding with the National Assembly, central government ministries and industry regarding the importance of the marine MRO industry and Busan’s role, while reinforcing the foundation for cooperation on national-level legislative, budgetary and policy support.

In particular, the city plans to share Busan’s regional strengths, including its port infrastructure, shipbuilding equipment industry base and accumulated experience in vessel repair, and discuss ways to connect these strengths with national marine MRO policy. Through these efforts, Busan Metropolitan City will strengthen the policy foundation for establishing a Busan-centered marine MRO and ship repair ecosystem.

Park Dong-seok, Director-General of the Advanced Industries Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, said, “The marine MRO industry is a key growth engine that will drive the advancement of Busan’s shipbuilding equipment industry amid a rapidly changing security environment and the transition to an eco-friendly paradigm.”

“Busan is ideally positioned with its strong experience in repairing small and medium-sized vessels and its solid shipbuilding equipment industry base. We will work closely with the National Assembly, central government ministries and industry to develop Busan into a global hub city for marine MRO,” he emphasized.