Korea  Maritime ＆ Ocean University Holds Inaugural Meeting to Officially Launch the “Seafarer Human Rights Forum”

KMOU Professor Sung-Ho Park Elected as the First Chairperson:

The first step toward securing the rights of seafarers

In an effort to promote the rights of seafarers, experts from the fields of labor and management, academia, and law enforcement have come together to officially launch the “Seafarer Human Rights Forum.”

The Seafarer Human Rights Forum held its inaugural general meeting and launched its activities on the 11^th at the new building of KMOU’s College of Maritime Sciences.

At this event, scholars related to the maritime industry, such as those from KMOU, and officials of 26 organizations, including shipping companies, unions, and law firms, gathered to sign their names as promoters of seafarers’ rights.

Led by experts in fields such as policy, law, and engineering, the forum aims to be a place where laws, systems, and policies are studied and formulated, and lectures, seminars, and discussions are held with relevant institutions to enhance seafarers’ rights. It is also anticipated to be a counseling center for cases of human rights violations.

Additionally, with the establishment of the forum, a joint seminar is planned to be held with the KMOU Human Rights Center and leading professors on the 10^th of next month, in continued efforts to further empower seafarers.

Park Sung-Ho , a professor in the Division of Navigation Convergence Studies at KMOU, was elected as the first chairperson of the forum.

Chairperson Park said, “As a result of our efforts to rebuild the shipping industry after the bankruptcy of Hanjin Shipping in 2017, we have achieved tangible results in shipping industry sales.” He further added, “We established this forum to enable seafarers, who are the blood of the national logistics network, to flow smoothly along the blood vessels of the maritime industry.”