President Lee Jae-myung instructed the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries on the 24th to review plans to complete the 'transfer of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan' by the end of December. President Lee noted during a cabinet meeting that a key official from the Presidential Office revealed he directed Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do-hyun on this matter. In particular, to expedite the transfer, he reportedly ordered the rental of existing buildings instead of constructing new ones.
The official said, 'As the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries reported the transfer procedures, President Lee, who values practicality, instructed them to 'come up with a plan to complete it by December,'' adding that 'if there is no site, he instructed them to at least rent one.' The transfer of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan is a campaign promise made by President Lee. It was presented as a key pledge for regional balanced development.
The day before, President Lee nominated Jeon Jae-soo, a three-term incumbent lawmaker from the Busan region, as the new Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, suggesting that efforts for the ministry's transfer are likely to accelerate. Jeon is the only incumbent lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea among 18 electoral districts in Busan. He served as the chair of the Arctic Route Development Promotion Committee under the election campaign during the last presidential election.