Yoon: The nation can grow into a new maritime power when Coast Guard is defending its seas

Aug 29, 2023, 11:23 am

		0
President Yoon Suk-yeol greets participants as he attends a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Coast Guard’s establishment in the western port city of Incheon on Aug. 28, 2023./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

President Yoon Suk-yeol on Monday pledged to provide full support for the Coast Guard, saying, “South Korea can grow into a new maritime power at the forefront of the global market only when the Coast Guard is safely defending its seas.”

Yoon made the remark during a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Coast Guard’s establishment in the western port city of Incheon. “The sea is the main channel for global logistics imports and exports and the place where sharp competition and cooperation between countries take place due to climate change and maritime territorial conflicts,” he said.

Yoon’s remarks are interpreted as stressing the government’s top priority on public safety and its willingness to protect the sea despite sharp conflicts at home and abroad over Japan’s discharge of treated radioactive water from its Fukushima nuclear plant.

During the ceremony, Yoon expressed his respect for the officers killed in the line of duty, including the late Lee Won-seok, the late Cho Dong-soo, and the late Oh Jin-seok, saying, “I pay tribute to the fallen maritime police officers. I would like to express my deep condolences and gratitude to the bereaved families.”

“More than any other time, our seas are being managed safely,” he said, pledging to actively support the establishment of a maritime information platform based on cutting-edge technologies.

“The difficulty of saving people’s lives, especially from rough and terrible accidents, is grave,” the president said. “The government will do its best to help you recover your body and mind.”

“In order to strengthen the ability of responding to different situations, we will strengthen the capabilities of the general situation room and implement a multiple-37.6 percent, aposition system for major positions,” he said.

Meanwhile, Yoon Suk-yeol’s approval rating inched up to 37.6 percent, a recent poll showed. In the poll conducted by Realmeter at the request of Media Tribune from last Monday to Friday, the positive assessment of Yoon’s performance came to 37.6 percent, slightly up from the previous week’s 35.6 percent.

#Yoon Suk-yeol #Coast Guard #maritime power