UN Ocean Conference Preparatory Committee launched, host city Busan confirmed

The chairman is the Prime Minister... Busan confirmed as host city at first meeting

(Busan = Yonhap News) Reporter Youngjae Lee = To successfully host the 4th UN Ocean Conference, an international conference to be held in Busan in 2028, the government-private joint 'UN Ocean Conference Preparatory Committee' was launched and began full-scale activities.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 17th that the UN Ocean Conference Preparatory Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Preparatory Committee) was launched and recently held its first meeting in writing.

The Preparatory Committee consists of 33 members, including the Prime Minister as the chairman, 26 government members including ministers of related ministries, and 6 business groups, and deliberates and decides on major matters such as plans related to the general meeting and division of work between agencies.

Business groups such as the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Korea Federation of Medium-sized Enterprises, Korea Federation of Small and Medium Businesses, Korea Business Association, Korea Employers Federation, and Korea International Trade Association were appointed as ex officio members.

They will lead future maritime agendas such as artificial intelligence (AI), maritime satellites, and data, and will play a role in promoting Korea in areas such as technology, industry, policy, and finance.

At the first meeting, the Preparatory Committee confirmed Busan as the host city for the UN Ocean Conference.

Previously, Busan City and Jeju Island submitted applications in the host city contest held by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries last July, and Busan City was selected after review by the host city selection committee.

The Preparatory Committee decided to hold some schedules, such as preliminary and special events related to the UN Ocean Conference, on Jeju Island from 2027 to 2028.

Accordingly, the UN Ocean Conference inter-ministerial preparation planning team plans to establish a collaboration system with relevant local governments and begin preparations for the event in earnest.

The UN Ocean Conference is the largest and highest-level international conference in the maritime sector held every three years. The expected number of officially registered participants is approximately 20,000, including 193 UN member states, international organizations, and non-governmental organizations, and the number of participants including general citizens through exhibitions and experience events is expected to exceed 100,000.

The Preparatory Committee said, "We plan to prepare thoroughly by gathering capabilities across the country so that the UN Ocean Conference can be a major turning point in setting the direction of maritime cooperation in the international community after 2030."