Last week, a container ship left Korea's southern port of Busan, heading north to test ...
Last week, a container ship left Korea's southern port of Busan, heading north to test an Arctic commercial route that could cut sailing time to Europe. A correspondent Ahn Sung-jin is interviewing the mayor of the port city to hear how he plans to make Busan a global hub, from Arctic shipping to tourism. Busan, Korea’s second-largest city, is home to more than three million people. Located on the country’s southeastern coast, the city is seeking to expand its role as a hub for both maritime industries and tourism. At the center of that vision is a push to establish Busan as Korea’s maritime capital. What Korea needs is a new growth center outside the Seoul metropolitan area that can compete with the capital on equal footing. By doing so we can move to a more balanced, multi-centered economy. The Mayor of Busan says this transformation will build on opportunities already emerging, including the Northern Sea Route, a shipping highway through the Arctic that is a potential shortcut for global trade between Asia and Europe as polar ice melts. The PanStar Acro container ship departed from Busan on August 22nd, marking the first time a Korean container ship makes the journey. The round trip is expected to take about 40 to 45 days...