Campaign to promote life jacket use among fishers at Busan Cooperative Fish Market

[Financial News] As fishing activity picks up in autumn, Busan will hold a campaign encouraging fishery workers and others to make wearing life jackets part of their daily routine, in an effort to prevent casualties among fishing vessel crew.
The Busan Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries said on the 26th that it will hold the “Life jackets: a necessity, not a choice” marine safety campaign at the Busan Cooperative Fish Market on the 27th.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of wearing life jackets when working at sea. On the day, the office will also hold a free health screening event for foreign fishing vessel crew in collaboration with the Korea National Tuberculosis Association and the Korea Maritime Transportation Safety Authority.
In particular, the office plans to actively promote the “mandatory life jacket use for fishing vessel crew” policy, which took effect last July 1, to help make wearing life jackets part of everyday safety culture. Article 24(1) of the revised Fishing Vessels Safety and Fishing Operations Act stipulates that anyone aboard a fishing vessel must wear a life jacket or personal flotation device when on an exposed deck. Violations are punishable by an administrative fine of up to 3 million won.
Educational materials explaining how to care for life jackets will also be distributed at the event, along with demonstrations and hands-on activities showing how to wear them.
Heo Man-uk, head of the Busan Regional Office of Oceans and Fisheries, said, “I hope this campaign will help create a safer working environment for fishing vessel crew, including by making life jacket use part of daily life.” He added, “We will continue to step up marine safety campaigns through cooperation with relevant agencies.”
[email protected] Byun Ok-hwan Reporter