International passenger ferry connecting Busan and Osaka resumes operation after 2 years = Korea coverage

On October 26th, the South Korean Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries announced that it would resume the operation of passenger ships connecting Japan and South Korea from 28th. Due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, international shipping between Japan and South Korea has been possible for cargo transportation since March 2020, but passenger transportation has not been carried out.

However, recently, due to the increasing demand for tourism in both countries, there have been requests for the resumption of passenger ship operations.

As a result, from 28th, an international regular line will connect the ports of Busan and Donghae (Japanese name is the East Sea) in South Korea with Fukuoka, Osaka, Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Tsushima in Nagasaki Prefecture, and Maizuru in Kyoto Prefecture. However, due to preparations for immigration procedures at the Japanese port, full-scale operation is expected to take some time. At present, there are plans for a passenger ship to depart Fukuoka City and enter Busan Port on November 4th.

The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries expects many Japanese tourists to visit the Busan Fireworks Festival scheduled for November 5th in Busan.