Irina Strelnikova: On South Korea’s Interests in the Arctic

In May 2026, South Korea adopted a special law regulating the country’s participation in the development of the Northern Sea Route. The country’s first-ever test container voyage along the NSR is scheduled for August–September. South Korea demonstrates a diversified motivation in the Arctic, where economic interests are closely intertwined with technological ambitions and geopolitical calculations, emphasizes PORА expert Irina Strelnikova, Director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Arctic Studies at HSE University, Associate Professor at the Department of Foreign Regional Studies at HSE University, and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

History

The Republic of Korea exemplifies a systematic and institutionalized approach to the Arctic among non-Arctic states. South Korea’s Arctic policy has a complex but fascinating history. The current course of the South Korean government toward expansion in the Far North has been shaped over many years. South Korea began to show state interest in the Arctic relatively late — in the mid-1980s. The genesis of the South Korean polar program dates to 1987, when a polar research center was established within the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology. That same year, the Korean National Committee for Antarctic Research was founded.

In 1993, the South Korean leadership officially articulated its priorities regarding the state’s presence in the region for the first time, leading to the creation of the first long-term strategy for South Korea in the Arctic. This document became the foundation for all subsequent regulatory frameworks and projects.

South Korean scientists received significant assistance in Arctic exploration from their Chinese colleagues. In 1999, they conducted a joint voyage aboard the icebreaker Xuelong in the waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas. Immediately after the expedition, the Koreans decided to build their own icebreaker. Just a few months later, in 2000, an Arctic working group was established with the participation of Korean and Russian researchers. Two years after that, South Korean citizens, following Japan’s example, established the Dasan scientific station in Svalbard, operated by the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) to conduct scientific research in the Arctic as part of South Korea’s overarching polar program covering both the Arctic and Antarctica.

In 2013, Korea became the first among Asian countries to present a Master Plan for Arctic Policy, which was substantially updated in 2018 based on accumulated experience. In 2021, the Act on Promoting Activities in Polar Regions was adopted, followed later by the Strategy-2050 and the Basic Plan for 2023–2027.

Shipbuilding

South Korea’s shipbuilding industry, serving as the «technological workshop» for the global Arctic fleet, is regarded as a national competitive advantage. South Korean shipyards build the most complex and expensive ice-class vessels required for year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route (NSR). The construction of Korea’s first icebreaker, Araon, at HJ Shipbuilding & Construction shipyards allowed the country to join the narrow club of states capable of building ice-class vessels. Subsequent contracts for the construction of gas carriers for Yamal LNG solidified this niche.

Approximately 70% of all gas carriers in the world are built by three South Korean giants: Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE), Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), and Hanwha Ocean (formerly DSME). It is important to emphasize that for Korea, Arctic shipbuilding is not merely a commercial activity but a tool for technological leadership. As experts note, Korean shipyards possess unique expertise that the United States is forced to acquire through task force mechanisms.

Notably, the construction of the next-generation icebreaking research vessel with a displacement of 16,560 tons, scheduled for launch in 2027–2030, is facing budgetary difficulties, which raises concerns in the context of competition with China and Japan.

Logistics

South Korea is also interested in the NSR as a transit route. Leading container lines plan to use Busan as a hub for transshipping cargo onto ice-class vessels to deliver goods to Europe faster than via the Suez Canal. This stimulates demand for the construction of South Korean ice-class container ships.

Overall, South Korea’s interest in the Northern Sea Route is strategic in nature and driven by geographical, economic, and geopolitical factors. For the Republic of Korea, logistics is a matter of national security. Korea’s economy is critically dependent on maritime trade, and any route that shortens the journey to Europe represents a strategic interest. As Dr. Choi Soo-bom, Secretary-General of the Korea Arctic Shipping Association, emphasizes, Seoul regards the NSR as a strategic, not temporary, route for diversifying supply chains. Specific steps for 2025–2026 include a 23.4% budget increase, conducting pilot navigations, designating Busan as a hub for Arctic shipping, and adopting a special Act on Promoting the Northern Sea Route.

South Korea’s first-ever test container voyage along the Northern Sea Route is scheduled for August–September 2026.

In May 2026, the Korea Ocean Business Corporation and the Korea Shipping Association officially announced that the shipping company Panstar Line Dot Com had been designated as the operator of the trial voyage. The vessel is expected to depart from the port of Busan, follow the Northern Sea Route along Russia’s Arctic coast, with calls at Russian ports along the route and at Tromsø, Norway. The final destination in Europe is the port of Rotterdam. The return journey is also planned via the NSR.

South Korean authorities view this voyage as a strategic move to secure alternative export routes amid instability in the Middle East and risks of Suez Canal closures. The distance between Busan and Rotterdam via the NSR is approximately 13,000 kilometers, compared to 20,000 kilometers via the southern seas. The success of the test will allow Seoul to join the race for Arctic cargo flows, following China, which has already launched regular container lines along this route.

The project holds national priority status following the approval by the National Assembly on May 7, 2026, of a special law regulating the country’s participation in the development of the Northern Sea Route. The document is titled «Act on Promoting the Use of the Northern Sea Route and the Development of Related Industries.» It is expected to take full effect six months after presidential approval (following the completion of required administrative formalities). The adoption of this law marks South Korea’s transition from private initiatives by individual companies to a systematic state policy aimed at transforming the country into a «leading maritime power of the NSR era.»

The law mandates the government to develop basic state plans for Arctic logistics development, which will be incorporated into the Fifth National Port Development Plan. The Korean government has also established a special department for NSR development and plans to subsidize shipping companies to offset costs for purchasing ice-class vessels and paying for nuclear icebreaker charter fees.

South Korea is implementing a large-scale port infrastructure modernization program to integrate into Northern Sea Route logistics. Seoul’s strategy envisions a two-tier system: one main backbone hub and a network of specialized supporting ports. The port of Busan — Korea’s main gateway — is traditionally viewed as South Korea’s primary foothold on the Arctic route.

According to national plans, Busan will receive the main convoys and then distribute cargo among the southern and southeastern ports of the peninsula. Port modernization focuses on dredging to accommodate container ships and creating temporary storage zones for transit goods.

Thus, the NSR for Seoul is a tool for enhancing its competitiveness, a factor in fleet modernization, and a guarantee that the country will remain a key link in global trade amid a changing climate.