The wages of Korean seafarers rose about 5% from a year earlier to 6.55 million won last year, according to a survey. While the share of Koreans among seafarers working domestically has been steadily declining, the proportion of young sailors under 40 has been rising instead.
The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Thursday it had published the "2026 Korea Seafarer Statistics Yearbook," which covers the status of employed seafarers in Korea, Korean and foreign employment figures, and wage levels.
According to the yearbook, a total of 60,543 seafarers were employed in Korea as of the end of last year. Of these, Koreans numbered 27,372, or 45.2%, down 1,359 from the previous year.
By contrast, foreign seafarers rose by 650 from the previous year to 33,171, or 54.8%. The share of foreign seafarers among employed sailors has risen every year, climbing from 49.9% in 2023 to 53.0% in 2024, when it overtook Korean seafarers for the first time, and the gap has continued to widen.
Korean seafarers' wages averaged 6.55 million won per month, up 310,000 won, or 4.97%, from the previous year's 6.24 million won, and up 48.2% from 4.42 million won a decade earlier in 2015.
The aging of Korean seafarers is also pronounced. A total of 12,002 Korean seafarers, or 43.9%, were aged 60 or older. Those in their 40s and 50s numbered 8,448 (30.9%), while those under 40 numbered 6,922 (25.2%).
However, the share of young seafarers under 40 exceeded 25% last year, following 22.1% in 2023 and 24.4% in 2024. This is analyzed as a positive signal in terms of securing long-term workforce stability and industry competitiveness.
"Since the announcement of the seafarer job innovation plan in 2023, the share of young seafarers has increased, but the problem of an aging seafarer population still persists," said Kim Hye-jung, director general of the Shipping and Logistics Bureau at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. "We will pursue various policies to create conditions where young seafarers can work with satisfaction and to enhance the appeal of the seafaring profession."
Through the seafarer job innovation plan in 2023, the ministry pursued labor-management-government consultations to raise ocean-going seafarers' leave cycles to the international average level (three to four months on board, two to three months of leave), and enabled mobile and internet access on board at the same level as on land. It also expanded the tax-exempt range for ocean-going seafarers from the then-limit of 3 million won to 5 million won.
