About 50 participants from Busan District Court, Korea Maritime and Ocean University and the Korean Maritime Law Association gathered Oct. 26; research findings to be reflected in court policy and practice

The 2026 Regional Academic Joint Research Forum is held at the Busan Court Complex on Oct. 26. [Korea Maritime and Ocean University]
The 2026 Regional Academic Joint Research Forum is held at the Busan Court Complex on Oct. 26. [Korea Maritime and Ocean University]

With the opening of the Busan Maritime and International Commercial Court scheduled for March 2028, interest in training maritime law specialists and refining the legal system is growing. Against that backdrop, the 2026 Regional Academic Joint Research Forum was held at the Busan Court Complex, organized by the Civil Law Practice Research Group and the Ship Practice Research Group of Busan District Court, in collaboration with the Graduate School of Maritime Law at Korea Maritime and Ocean University and the Korean Maritime Law Association.

The forum, held Wednesday, was designed to strengthen cooperative ties between the court and regional maritime law research institutions through joint study, and to help prepare for the opening of the Busan Maritime and International Commercial Court. Research findings are to be incorporated into court policy and practice. About 50 people attended, including judges, judicial research officers, university professors, association members and maritime industry practitioners.

Senior Judge Kim Yun-young, chair of the Civil Law Practice Research Group at Busan District Court, said in opening remarks that establishing the court as a venue capable of resolving maritime disputes professionally and swiftly would require addressing many challenges — including training specialized personnel, refining the legal system, and ensuring the predictability and enforceability of rulings. "These are tasks that the court cannot tackle alone," Kim said. "The research and input of professors at Korea Maritime and Ocean University and members of the Korean Maritime Law Association, who have worked most closely with maritime practice and maritime law, are essential."

Kim Jin-kwon, chair of the Korean Maritime Law Association and a professor at Korea Maritime and Ocean University, said the Busan Maritime and International Commercial Court could become a central venue for resolving maritime disputes only if the court's adjudication capacity and the academic community's research achievements advanced together. "I hope this forum marks the starting point for that," Kim said. Kim Hyeon-gwi, dean of the Department of Maritime Law at Korea Maritime and Ocean University, said a graduate program in maritime law — designed to train specialists ahead of the court's opening — would soon be launched, and called for broad interest and support.

The forum then proceeded through three sessions of presentations, designated discussions and open debate. In the first session, Kim In-yu, a professor in the Department of Maritime Law at Korea Maritime and Ocean University, presented on legislative follow-up tasks arising from the establishment of the maritime and international commercial court. In the second session, Moon Byeong-il, a special professor at the Institute for International Maritime Affairs at Korea Maritime and Ocean University, presented on the structure of international parallel litigation surrounding shipowner liability limitation and how Korean law responds to it. In the third session, Judge Kim Yu-sin of the seventh civil division at Busan District Court presented research on key practical issues in maritime liens.

The court and academic community plan to continue scholarly exchanges, including joint research forums, to support the court's stable establishment going forward.


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