The Incheon Port Authority (www.icpa.or.kr, President Lee Kyung-Gyu) announced that it has officially concluded the two-day proceedings of the 4th Incheon International Ocean Forum (IIOF 2023). The forum was held at the Incheon Songdo Convensia (123 Central-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City) under the central theme, "The World Calls, The Ocean Waves” with the slogan, "Reopening of Oceans, New Waves of Change."

The forum brought together 26 experts from seven countries who engaged in both online and offline presentations and discussions regarding the future direction of the maritime industry. The active participation of attendees during the question-and-answer sessions added enthusiasm to the forum. Moreover, the event provided a platform for participants to engage in business networking activities.

The forum’s opening ceremony was graced with the participation of 481 VIPs and on-site participants, along with 855 online participants.

Keynote speaker Tim Marshall delivered a live online speech on the topic of "The Importance of the Oceans from a Geopolitical Perspective." He emphasized that it is essential to bolster South Korea’s maritime capabilities considering the difficulty of utilizing land routes towards the north due to North Korea, as well as Korea’s distinctive geographical feature of an extensive coastline.

The five regular sessions featured two speakers each who presented on designated session topics, followed by a discussion of three panelists on specific topics. In its fourth iteration, the forum’s quality has been elevated with more in-depth presentations and discussions compared to previous years.

In addition, supplementary activities were organized at the side event venue to enrich the experience of the offline participants. Various experience programs such as creating resin sea creature smart toks and crafting mobiles of natural mother-of-pearl were offered. Several exhibitions captured the attention of participants, including original artwork from the Korean illustrated story "Blizzard,” polar bear sculptures, and awarded works of an ocean photography competition. Promotional booths for eco-friendly startups in the maritime industry were also installed.

A special lecture entitled "Let’s Save the Ocean!" was held at the side event venue from 3 p.m. on both days of the regular sessions. In this lecture, Professor Nam Sung Hyun from Seoul National University and Tyler Rasch, an American TV personality and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Brand Ambassador drew a great response for explaining the issues of climate crisis and marine pollution in a way that was easy for the general participants to understand.

Incheon Port Authority's President Lee Kyung-Gyu stated, "Through this forum, we hope that experts and ordinary citizens alike will gain a deeper understanding of ocean-related matters and cultivate sustained interest.” He added, “We will continue to strive to transform the Incheon International Ocean Forum into a platform for diverse interactions with participants through the development of engaging content."