Korea has a total shoreline length of 17,200 km, possesses a vast continental shelf three times of its land territory, and over 3,400 islands. To realize our aim to be one of the maritime superpowers, we must seek and implement an ocean-oriented development strategy at the national level for our marine living resources, seabed resources, ocean energy and marine space utilization together with ocean environment preservation to maximize our potential.

n Korea, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries was established in 1996; however, problems related to the marine environment and fishery resources management are still awaiting solution. Subsequently, there has been a lot of advancement in the establishment of the Coastal Management Act and the Wetland Conservation Act. Citizens and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) who have received marine environmental education rendered great services in the establishment of these acts. Now, qualitative development of marine environmental education is being regarded upon at the national level,

The business program for marine ranching has fulfilled its duties as an important policy measure to an overall reorganization of adjacent coastal seas fishery that is out of proportion to the delimitations of countries adjacent to the Exclusive Economic Zone. On the subject of adjacent seawaters, we ought to make the enterprising resources management of the fishing industry effective and internationally competitive. In the case of the coast, we should make the fishing industry effective through the administration of the whole marine ecosystem.