President Lee Jae Myung presents three principles for preparing for the Arctic shipping route

President Lee Jae Myung said at a congratulatory speech for the welcome ceremony marking the demonstration voyage of the Arctic shipping route, held in Busan on the 13th, that South Korea will prepare for the era of the Arctic route while adhering to international norms and the international community's sanctions principles, and presented three principles for readiness. "We will guard against premature optimism and prepare with a long-term perspective as we ready ourselves for the Arctic shipping era," the president said.

The ceremony was held to welcome the return of the Panstar Acro. Recalling the voyage, President Lee said, "The Acro, which wrote the first line of its logbook in Busan on the night of August 22, filled the pages day by day until it set foot on British soil, and on the final line of its 50-day voyage, it wrote Busan once again." He assessed the voyage as "a meaningful challenge that confirmed the potential of the Arctic route through actual cargo transport."

President Lee named the international community's trust as the first principle. "We will thoroughly uphold international norms and the sanctions principles of the international community," he pledged, adding, "We will communicate sufficiently with key partner countries and responsibly address concerns related to the route's operation." He added, "We will strive to ensure that the new route leads not to the exclusive interests of any single country but to shared prosperity."

The remaining two principles concern experience and technology. President Lee said, "We will steadily accumulate operational experience to build a foundation for sustainable maritime transport," and explained that the government will provide information support and financial and institutional frameworks so that various shipping companies, cargo owners, and logistics firms can take part. He also promised continued investment in technologies that ensure safety and protect the environment, pledging efforts on ecosystem preservation and the development of eco-friendly technologies.

"The first page of South Korea's Arctic route logbook opens here today," the president said, adding, "The government will also open up the new route with unwavering action."