Republic of Korea 



Tlie Republic of Korea's (ROK) distant-water fishing fleet has shown growth in some sectors during the past 

 few years, but faces an increasingly bleak future. With the advent of international regulation of commercially 

 important high-seas fisheries, the ROK distant-water trawler fleet is losing access to major fishing grounds and may 

 eventually follow die Japanese example of moving away from catch operations to post-harvesting, value-added 

 operations. 



Contents 



I. Distant-water Fishing Fleets 88 



A. Trawlers 89 



B. Squid Jiggers 91 



C. Driftnet Vessels 91 



D. Distant-water Tuna Vessels 91 



II. Goveriunent Promotion of Shipbuilding 93 



III. Current Status of Shipbuilding 93 



IV. Government Regulation of Fleet Size 93 



V. Vessel Exports 93 



VI. Access to Foreign Fishing Grounds 93 



A. Fonuer Soviet Union/Russian Federation 94 



B. East Asia 95 



C. South/Southeast Asia 95 



D. Oceania 95 



E. Africa/Middle East 96 



F. Latin America 96 



G. North America 97 



VII. Outlook 97 



A. Trawlers 98 



B. Squid Jiggers 98 



C. Driftnet Vessels 98 



D. Distant-water Tuna Vessels 98 



Sources 99 



Appendices 104 



registered tons) indicate a sustained level of fleet 



1. Distant-water Fishing Fleets expansion between 1982 and 1992 (appendix A). ROK 



— Government statistics indicate that the distant-water 



fleet decreased to about 650 vessels in the mid-1980s, 



ROK distant-water fi.shing began in 1957 when but there was another surge of growth to nearly 800 



several ROK tuna longliners conducted exploratory vessels by 1989. The fleet has decreased slightly since 



fishing in the Indian Ocean. The fleet grew from less then to a total of 771 vessels in 1991 (appendix B). 



than 100 vessels in the early 1960s to a peak of 850 With the exception of squid jiggers, the major ROK 



vessels in the late 1970s.' Lloyd's of London statistics distant-water fleets have all decreased in size .since 



for the largest ROK fishing vessels (t)ver 500 gross 1989 (figure !). Recent infomiation from the Japanese 



