[ The 13th International Symposium of Port Econo.... ]

The 13th International Symposium of Port Economics held in Kwang Yang
on July 10-11
▶Adapted from an Interview with Dr. Beth chairman and CEO of Port of
Hamburg

By the invitation of Mr. Ok Hyun Kim, the Mayor of Kwang Yang City and
Dr. Hee Seok Bang, the chairman of the KPEA(Korea Port Economics Asso
ciation), Dr. Hans Ludwig Beth, the chairman and chief executive offic
er of the Port of Hamburg visited Korea and took part in the 13th Inte
rnational Symposium of Port Economics which was held in Kwang Yang Cit
y on July 10-11 .
In the symposium, as a keynote speaker, Dr. Beth had speech about ‘Tr
ends and Strategies in Container Port Development’in which he introdu
ced worldwide trend of container port development especially in the se
nse of port economics.
Kwang Yang City has opened new container terminal this year. For the s
uccessful preparation of this opening and the port sales, mayor Kim an
d Dr. Bang had participated in the 6th International Liner Symposium w
hich had been organized in Hamburg by Dr. Beth in last April. Mayor Ki
m had introduced successfully the new container terminal of Kwang Yang
City to the participants of the Symposium and two officers of Kwang Y
ang City had been trained in Hamburg for 3 months in 1996 by Dr. Beth
’help for the successful operation of Kwang Yang Port.
The 6th International Symposium on Liner Shipping organized by the Por
t of Hamburg Marketing and Public Relations was one of the top events
in Hamburg last year. The symposium attracted nearly 300 participants
from 38 countries. Shipping, shippers, the transport sector, ports, tr
ansport policy makers and academies were all there in force to create
an attractive forum at which martkets problems and factors influencing
these developments were presented and discussed. However, a conferenc
e such as the Liner Symposium which takes place every four year has no
t been able to solve the problems currently affecting this sector of t
he transport business. All it can do is provide thought-provoking impu
lses and formulate questions which the individual decision makers have
to answer in the context of their respective corporate strategy, such
as ▶How restrictive or liberal should the general polotical framewor
k be in future? ▶What will be the extent and impact of the globalizat
ion of business and the concentration process in shipping? ▶What role
will be played by ports that do not see themselves as mere transit st
ations? ▶And will the increasingly keen competition in the business a
nd transport sectors be accompanied by international competition as we
ll? A supposition occasioned by overlapping areas of activity.
The participants from Korea at the symposium were Mr. Ok Hyun Kim the
mayor of Kwang Yang City, Mr. Hak Beom Hwang the deputy director of Kw
ang Yang City, Dr. Hee Seok Bang the advisor to Kwang Yang City and pr
ofessor, Mr. Seok Hee Lee the managing director of Hyundai Merchant Ma
rine, Mr. Joo Il Moon the director of Hyundai Merchant Marine, Mr. San
g Won Han the chief director of Korea Logistics Institute, Ms. Sonia S
ong the surveyor of Dong Bang Peregrine Securities Co., Ltd., Mr. Ho Y
oung Lee the korean representative of the Port of Hamburg.
Dr. Beth said he expected more participation of korean shipping and sh
ipbuilding industry, terminal operators, institutes for which Internat
ional Liner Symposium will be very useful for their business. he added
they would consider some speakers from korean shipping field or insti
tutes for the next 7th symposium.