Korea Maritime Institute organizes forum on Yellow Sea

A conference on the Yellow Sea and the essential role of the oceans in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals will be held by the Korea Maritime Institute on Thursday in Seoul.

A group of environmental experts, including Ban Ki-moon, former Secretary-General of the United Nations and current Chair of the National Council on Climate and Air Quality of Korea, will meet at the 2020 Sustainable Development Forum for the Yellow Sea to discuss the challenges facing the oceans, especially the Yellow Sea, a marginal sea located between the Korean Peninsula.

In a keynote speech entitled "SDGs and Climate Change: Challenges and Opportunities," Ban will share his insight into the challenges facing South Korea in addressing climate change and the significance of the marine environment in this endeavor.

Other speakers include Young Su-gil, head of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network in Korea, and Claire Jolly, head of the Science, Technology and Innovation Unit of the OECD Directorate.

The forum will take place in a hybrid environment, both online and in person, in line with the event's theme.

Given the recent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Korea, the organizers said that only those who were invited and registered in advance would be limited to in-person participation. But the forum will be livestreamed in its entirety on the official YouTube channel of the institute.

During the event, a live Q&A session will also take place as participants at home and abroad will be able to ask speakers questions, who will answer them in real time.

The online event is co-hosted by the Institute of Ocean Science and Technology of Korea as well as the University of Pyeongtaek.

Their remarks will be accompanied by a series of video messages, including those by Lim Ki-tack, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, a shipping regulatory body of the United Nations; Ariel Troisi, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Commission on Oceanography; and Haiming Xing, Chinese Ambassador to Korea.

Maritime Business World