President Lee Pledges Support for S. Korea's Shipbuilding Industry

SEOUL, May 13 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung visited the headquarters of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Co., the world's largest shipbuilder, in Ulsan on Wednesday and pledged government support for the country's shipbuilding industry. Lee toured a dock affiliated with the firm and inspected liquefied natural gas carriers under construction for export. He also received a briefing on the firm's order intake and conditions in the global shipbuilding market, vice presidential spokesperson Ahn Gwi-ryeong said. The president praised the dedication and expertise of shipbuilding workers, attributing to them "the world's highest-level competitiveness" of the country's shipbuilding industry. He also pledged active government support to help the industry maintain its global competitiveness in the market going forward, the spokesperson said. Later in the day, Lee reiterated in a post on his X account that the government will go beyond laying a strong industrial foundation for the shipbuilding sector and work to build an ecosystem in which industrial safety is ensured and the benefits are shared fairly.