01 June 2017

News Story: Moon vows to build stronger maritime nation

President Moon Jae-in (File Photo)
SEOUL, May 31 (Yonhap) -- President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday vowed to build a stronger maritime nation by bolstering its economic and military powers at sea.

As part of the efforts, he promised to establish a public corporation to provide financial assistance to the nation's ailing shipping and shipbuilding industries, and revive their global competitiveness. He also vowed to sternly deal with foreign fishing boats' illegal operation in sovereign waters.

Moon made the remark during a ceremony marking Day of the Seas, saying the waters surrounding the peninsula hold the key to the country's national security, economy and public livelihoods.

"The new government will consolidate our status as a maritime leader based on strong maritime economic power and naval forces," he said in an address at the Saemangeum land reclamation site in Gunsan, 274 kilometers south of Seoul. "We will defend our maritime sovereignty at all cost."

   In particular, the president pledged to increase investment in the naval forces as part of the administration's goal to raise the defense budget to 3 percent of the gross domestic product.

Read the full story at YonhapNews