Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) held the 23rd Shipbuilding and Marine Day ceremony in Seoul on September 10, 2026. The event brought together around 250 participants, including Vice Minister Moon Shin-hak of MOTIR; Lee Sang-kyun, Chairman of the Korea Offshore & Shipbuilding Association (KOSHIPA); and other representatives from the shipbuilding and marine industries.

At the ceremony, 35 individuals received government awards and ministerial commendations, including the Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, for their contributions to advancing the shipbuilding and marine industry. Notably, Tae-Soo Park, CEO of DOOWON HIGHSTEEL, received the Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit, becoming the first government award recipient from a shipbuilding equipment company in more than a decade. A financial institution official who has supported the issuance of refund guarantees (RGs) for small and medium-sized shipbuilders also received a Prime Minister’s Commendation. The awards highlighted contributions not only from shipyards but also from across the broader shipbuilding ecosystem that supports them.

In his congratulatory remarks, Vice Minister Moon noted K-shipbuilding’s USD 32 billion in exports over the past year—the highest in eight years—its continued global lead in LNG carriers, and MASGA’s move into full-scale implementation, including the opening of the Korea–U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Center, and thanked the industry for its role in these achievements. “No ship can be built by a shipyard alone,” Vice Minister Moon said. He stressed that K-shipbuilding’s competitiveness lies in the strength of the entire value chain spanning steel, equipment, shipping and finance, then outlined three policy directions for shared growth across the ecosystem.

First, the government will promote shared growth between shipbuilding and its upstream and downstream industries, including steel and shipping. It will take an active role in developing measures for shared growth between the shipbuilding and steel industries. To help equipment suppliers establish the onboard installation track record needed for exports, the government plans to support the installation of Korean equipment on newbuild vessels ordered by Korean shipping companies. Through the Strategic Council for Shared Growth in Shipbuilding and Shipping, co-chaired by the ministers of MOTIR and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), the government will also discuss ways to generate orders, including joint orders by Korean shipping companies and priority orders for public vessels.

Second, the government will promote shared growth among large shipbuilders, small and medium-sized shipbuilders, and partner companies. It will expand the M.AX Alliance for Autonomous Ships, which has focused on autonomous navigation, to cover shipyard manufacturing sites and reorganize it as the AI Shipbuilding Alliance. The government will also help disseminate technologies proven by large shipbuilders to partner companies and small and medium-sized shipbuilders. To support small and medium-sized shipbuilders as their exports increase, the government plans to work with relevant ministries and financial institutions to facilitate the issuance of RGs for these shipbuilders.

Third, the government will promote shared growth in overseas markets. In implementing the MASGA project, it will focus on identifying project opportunities for shipbuilding equipment suppliers and small and medium-sized shipbuilders. The government will also continue to strengthen MRO capabilities among small and medium-sized shipbuilders and support U.S. market entry by equipment suppliers. The Korea–U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Center, which opened in Washington, D.C., in late July, will also support small and medium-sized shipbuilders and equipment suppliers in developing sales channels in the U.S. market. To this end, the government plans to hold the first Korea–U.S. Shipbuilding Partnership Event (working title) in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2026, bringing together Korean shipbuilders and equipment suppliers.

Finally, Vice Minister Moon said, “A large fleet can move no faster than its slowest ship,” and urged large, medium-sized and small shipbuilders, equipment suppliers, the private sector and the government to work as a team and move forward together as members of one K-shipbuilding fleet. Commenting on these policy directions, Chairman Lee of KOSHIPA said, “As competition with China intensifies, individual companies can only go so far on their own. The strength of the entire value chain, from equipment and shipbuilding to ship ordering and shipping, is becoming increasingly important. We strongly agree with the government’s emphasis on shared growth.”