President Lee: “We will steadily prepare for the Arctic shipping era ... and make Busan and the southeastern region a maritime capital region”

[Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung said on the 11th, after the Panstar Akro returned safely following its trial run on the Arctic route, “Building on this achievement, we will steadily prepare for the era of Arctic shipping.”
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) that day titled “Korea Welcomes the Era of Arctic Shipping,” President Lee wrote: “At around 8 a.m. today, the Panstar Akro, which completed its trial run on the Arctic route, returned to Busan Port. You have been through a lot on this long voyage, and I sincerely welcome your safe return.”
President Lee stressed, “This voyage, which began on August 22, cut the one-way voyage time by 10 days compared with the existing route via the Suez Canal, and enabled us to build up experience operating our container ships in polar regions and navigation data. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the crew who led this challenging voyage, everyone who supported the trial run, and the people who cheered them on.”
He added, “We will help Busan and the southeastern region emerge as the ‘Southern Maritime Capital Region’ and ensure that new sea routes lead to new growth for the Republic of Korea.”

[email protected] Choi Jong-geun Reporter