Gunsan Port is being reborn as a hub for maritime trade and tourism with China.

At the center of this is the direct shipping route between Gunsan Port and China's Shidao.

Opened in 2008 with three voyages per week, this route utilizes a 20,000-ton ferry operating three times weekly between Gunsan and Shidao to transport container cargo.

In particular, record-high cargo and passenger volumes are expected this year, which is anticipated to greatly contribute to the revitalization of Gunsan Port and regional economic development. According to Seokdo Ferry Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Sang-kyum), the shipping company operating this route, cargo performance as of the 23rd of this month was tallied at 47,238 TEUs (1 TEU = one 20-foot container).

At this rate, it is expected to easily surpass last year's 62,692 TEUs and reach approximately 64,000 TEUs.

This upward trend in cargo is being led by the "Gunsan Port Express Cargo Customs Clearance Facility" (hereinafter referred to as the Customs Clearance Facility), which opened in February 2024.

Located within the Gunsan Logistics Support Center on a 1,450-pyeong site, the facility is equipped with three X-ray scanners, three conveyor belts, three simultaneous implementation systems, and an inspection room to handle e-commerce cargo coming in through the direct route.

Future prospects are also bright, which is encouraging.

Gunsan Port is at the shortest distance from China's Shandong Province—including Weihai, Rizhao, Qingdao, and Yantai—where large-scale logistics bases have been developed among domestic ports.

Furthermore, the customs clearance facility will be expanded and operated starting in the second half of this year.

As the intermediate process of routing through Incheon Port is eliminated, related companies are expected to strongly prefer Gunsan Port due to logistics cost reductions.

This is evaluated as a point where Gunsan Port has secured a competitive edge advantageous for attracting cargo by establishing logistics conditions comparable to Incheon Port and Pyeongtaek Port in the same sea area.

Passenger transport is also on an upward trend.

As of the 23rd of this month, the number of passengers stood at 62,389, an increase of nearly 10% compared to 56,898 during the same period last year.

It is analyzed that passengers from both countries have increased as the advantage of enjoying convenient overseas travel in a hotel-level comfortable environment has been highlighted.

Therefore, the argument is gaining persuasive power that active efforts should be made to attract Chinese tourists by widely promoting the fact that within an hour's drive from Gunsan Port, there are various sights such as the Time Travel Village, Gogunsan Islands, Seocheon Ecological Tourism, Jeonju Hanok Village, and the Baekje Historic Areas, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Kim Sang-kyum, CEO of Seokdo Ferry, stated, "We will do our utmost in operating the shipping company with the mindset that the direct shipping route between Gunsan and China is not merely a sea route, but the vanguard of the smokeless industry of Gunsan and Jeonbuk State."

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