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South Korea’s Pohang City Seeks Arctic Shipping Role
South Korea’s Pohang City has launched a study to position Yeongilman Port as a specialized hub for Arctic shipping, highlighting how Northern Sea Route development has become a growing priority in both local and national maritime policy.
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South Korea’s Pohang City has commissioned a study to develop Yeongilman Port into a specialized hub for Arctic shipping, the latest sign of how the country’s ambitions surrounding the Northern Sea Route are increasingly shaping both local port development and national maritime policy.
Pohang City said the study is intended to strengthen Yeongilman Port’s competitiveness as South Korea prepares for an expected expansion of Arctic shipping and the government’s planned pilot operations along Russia’s Northern Sea Route later this year.
The project follows the recent passage of South Korea’s Arctic Shipping Route Special Act by the National Assembly and the government’s plan to conduct a trial voyage along the Arctic route during the second half of 2026.
Arctic shipping trend
The concept study, titled “Yeongilman Port Arctic Shipping Route Specialized Port Master Plan,” will establish a long-term development strategy for the port as a maritime logistics hub serving Arctic trade.
According to city officials, the study will examine domestic and international Arctic shipping trends, identify specialized functions for Yeongilman Port, assess future development demand and recommend infrastructure improvements.
The starting point for establishing Yeongilman Port’s future development strategy
It will also analyze ways to attract cargo from the Daegu-Gyeongbuk region through rail connections and the planned Daegu-Gyeongbuk New Airport while expanding cooperation with Arctic countries and cities. A SWOT analysis of the port’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats will also be carried out.
National shipping strategy
The study is intended to align with the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ national port development strategy for Arctic shipping and support the inclusion of Yeongilman Port in higher-level government planning, including the basic plan under the Arctic Shipping Route Special Act and South Korea’s Fifth National Port Master Plan.
“This study will serve as the starting point for establishing Yeongilman Port’s future development strategy in response to changes in national port policy,” Kim Jeong-pyo, director of Pohang’s Maritime and Fisheries Bureau, said in a statement.
Local officials also see the project as an opportunity to reposition Yeongilman Port to serve new industries, including South Korea’s growing battery and hydrogen sectors, while improving the port’s competitiveness for international logistics.
The city has not publicly disclosed detailed findings because the study has only recently begun. According to local media, the contract is valued at about 300 million won ($220,000) and is scheduled to run for approximately 10 months.
Now national politics
The initiative reflects a broader shift in South Korea’s Arctic strategy, with Northern Sea Route development emerging as a prominent political issue over the past few years.
During the last presidential election campaign, Arctic shipping featured in proposals to strengthen South Korea’s maritime competitiveness, while the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has since outlined plans to transform Busan into a regional Arctic logistics hub.
As part of those efforts, the ministry plans to dispatch a roughly 3,000-TEU container ship from Busan to Rotterdam on the country’s first Arctic container shipping trial voyage around September, subject to securing a vessel and completing consultations with Russia, whose permission is required for transit along the Northern Sea Route. It recently selected Panstar Line to carry out the voyage.
South Korean municipalities are also stepping up international cooperation. Earlier this year, a delegation from the Busan Port Authority traveled to Tromsø, Norway, where the two ports signed a memorandum of understanding covering cooperation on Arctic maritime operations and port development.
The growing political focus reflects hopes that Arctic shipping could eventually strengthen South Korea’s role in Asia-Europe trade while revitalizing southern ports including Busan and, increasingly, smaller ports such as Yeongilman that are seeking specialized roles in future Arctic logistics networks.
