(NEWS) WMU Professor Appointed Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea

April

2019

WMU Professor Appointed Minister of Oceans and Fisheries, Republic of Korea

As of 3 April, WMU Professor Daniel Seong-Hyeok Moon, was appointed to the position of Minister for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF) of the Republic of Korea. Until that time, he served at WMU as the INMARSAT Professorial Chair, Associate Academic Dean, and Head of Port Management specialization. Professor Moon is currently on a leave of absence from WMU due to his Ministerial appointment.

Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry, President of WMU stated, “On behalf of Faculty and Staff of WMU, it is with great pride that we extend our heartfelt congratulations to Professor Moon on his appointment as the Minister of Oceans and Fisheries for the Republic of Korea. We are very proud that Professor Moon has been called upon to hold this important function for his country bringing to it expertise and experience gained at the international level at WMU for the past 11 years. We wish him well in his new Ministerial duties. The Ministry has been a long-standing supporter of WMU and has been playing an important role in both maritime and ocean sectors.”

During their recent field study visit to the Republic of Korea, students in the Maritime Safety and Environmental Administration specialization had the opportunity to visit MOF. The students were warmly welcomed by Minister Moon and they expressed their gratitude to the Honourable Minister for taking the time to meet with them.

MOF has an executive responsibility for marine-related work encompassing shipping & port industry, fisheries industry, fishing community & coastal city, marine environment, maritime safety, marine tourism & leisure activity and maritime territory. WMU has a long-standing and harmonious relationship with MOF which has hosted Field Studies for WMU students since 2004. In May of 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between MOF and WMU to finalize a Korean Professorial Chair position and to provide fellowships for designated students from MOF. The Korean Chair is a non-fixed term appointment that was filled by Dr. Dong-Wook Song in September 2015. MOF has provided scholarships through the IMO for at least four students annually. This year the fund is supporting a total of four students from four different countries including Ghana, Honduras, Republic of Korea, and Viet Nam.

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