Incheon Maritime Court Bill Passes National Assembly Subcommittee... A Step Closer to Becoming a 'Global Legal Hub'

The legal basis for the establishment of the Incheon Maritime Specialized Court has been secured. The long-stalled project to attract the maritime court, which has been drifting for nearly ten years since the 20th National Assembly, has been evaluated as having crossed a significant milestone with the passage of the bill through the National Assembly's standing committee subcommittee.

The Incheon Metropolitan City announced that the amendments to the 'Court Organization Act' and the 'Law on the Establishment and Jurisdiction of Courts' aimed at establishing the Incheon Maritime Specialized Court passed the first subcommittee of the National Assembly's Legislative and Judiciary Committee on the 3rd.

The establishment of the Maritime Specialized Court has been a long-standing wish of the shipping and port industries, but it has repeatedly failed due to the expiration of the National Assembly's term. However, in the current 22nd National Assembly, local representatives such as Yoon Sang-hyun, Jeong Il-young, Park Chan-dae, and Bae Jun-young have successively proposed the bill, gaining momentum with a total of 32 members of parliament from both parties participating in the joint proposal.

In particular, during the review process last July, both parties agreed to expand jurisdiction not only over maritime cases but also over international commercial disputes, deciding to establish the main offices of the 'Maritime International Commercial Courts' in both Incheon and Busan, thus breaking the deadlock. It is also reported that the previously contentious issue of exclusive jurisdiction has been reconciled between the Court Administration Office and the Ministry of Justice.

This achievement has been supported by the persistent efforts of the Incheon community. The Incheon City has been visiting the National Assembly regularly with the 'Citizens' Movement Headquarters for Attracting the Maritime Specialized Court', composed of the Incheon Bar Association and the port industry, persuading them of the necessity. The enthusiasm for attracting the court, united by a citizens' signature campaign involving one million citizens and relay support declarations, is said to have moved the National Assembly.

Incheon is considered the optimal location for rapid response to maritime disputes with neighbouring countries such as China, thanks to its world-class airport and port. Once the court is established, it is expected to bring economic benefits by reducing the annual legal service costs that have been flowing overseas, amounting to hundreds of billions of won.

Yoon Jeong-bok, the Mayor of Incheon, stated, "This result was made possible by the dedicated efforts of the 3 million citizens of Incheon, the Citizens' Movement Headquarters, and local members of parliament," and emphasized, "We will ensure that the remaining procedures, including the passage of the full committee and the National Assembly plenary session, are completed without wavering, to grow Incheon into a global legal hub city."