Interview with NAM Ki-Chan, President & CEO of the BPA: "Aiming to become a maritime capital of Northeast Asia as a logistics hub”

Polinews met with BPA President Nam Ki-chan to hear about his management philosophy and the Authority’s future direction.

▲ BPA President Nam Ki-chan

The Busan Port Authority started its journey with the keyword of “realizing social values and public benefits based on humanism”. What is your management philosophy to guide the Authority into that direction?

"I believe that the BPA’s journey needs to reflect the zeitgeist, spirit of the time we are living now. After I took office last August, the following four management guidelines was set: people-centered, innovative growth, cooperation, and customer-based. and a team dedicated to realizing “social values” was newly established on September. Together with various parties, including civil societies, terminal operators, and Distripark tenant companies, the Vision Proclamation Event was held last December to present the Authority’s commitment.”

How can the Authority realize the value for the ocean, as mentioned in the statement “we are whales too”? I believe this also has to do with the zeitgeist. Do you think this is in line with the philosophies of President Moon Jae-in and Mayor Oh Geo-don? Do you also think that your identity as a scholar is in line with the participation in reality?

"Scholars should not neglect the values demanded by the times we are living in. Actual participation, rather than observing from a scholarly point of view, is an act of realizing the zeitgeist. I also wanted to utilize my expertise in practice to improve the realities in the field. After I took office, I hoped to incorporate the zeitgeist into the management guidelines and expand it into different areas.”

▲ Sapphire Prince entering Busan Port for the first time this year

We are now faced with the 5^th Industrial Revolution. What are Busan Port planning in order to establish a smart port in regards to the Revolution?
"Cruise business is a case in point. For the first half of last year, 43 cruise vessels and 70,000 cruise passengers used Busan Port, meaning 7 out of 10 cruise passengers came to Korea via Busan Port. We are expecting 140 cruise services and 200,000 cruise passengers to arrive to Busan, Incheon and Jeju Ports next year.

The Authority will be prepared to accommodate all the passengers and crew members until then. International Passenger Terminal (3 berths) will be the major cruise facility, and Yeongdo Terminal can be used in case more berths are required.

We are also looking into diversifying the market; rather than just focusing on China, we are also considering Japan, Russia, Taiwan, etc. The Authority is reviewing to develop and conduct marketing for the routes in the Pan-East Sea areas in cooperation with Japanese and Russian Port Authorities, and to establish cruise and car ferry routes in case the relationship between the North and the South improves.

▲ Ovation of the Seas is entering Busan Port.

"Trickle-down economics also apply to ports. As of last year, export volume of cruise supplies amounted to total 19.4 billion KRW (16.4 million USD), taking up 96.2% of the domestic vessel supply market. Despite the fact that the number of Chinese cruise passengers decreased due to political issues, Busan Port stands sound by diversifying the market to Japan, Taiwan and Russian Far East.

We also appreciate the support of Busan Main Custom. The Custom newly established Cruise Clearance Team in order to accommodate continuously increasing cruise business at Busan Port. Starting from May 1, passengers who purchased products outside the duty-free zone can get their tax-refund in their choice of currency, such as dollars, yen, or yuan. Customs and immigration area for cruise passengers are well modernized, meaning all the process can be completed in one-stop. "