“We are accommodating overseas cruise companies in Korea, so we are trying to make our destinations unique and attractive,” said Kim Hyunsung, Senior Deputy Director of Korea’s Marine Leisure Tourism Division.

In total, the country has six main ports of call, including Yeosu, Sokcho, Busan and Jeju.

Two years ago, Korea joined the Asia Cruise Cooperation (ACC) with the goal of increasing the number of ships visiting the country and developing the Korean national cruise market.

Hyunsung would also like to see Korea as a key outbound market, with homeport operations sending cruise ships to other countries.

Currently, no cruise line is serving the local market but there are tour operators chartering ships for local operations, he said.

According to Hyunsung, Korea had 22,000 outbound passengers on ships in 2018.

He said that plans are underway for a domestic cruise line.

We are trying to building our own cruise ships,” he added.

A new airport and port recently opened in Incheon, helping position it as a key hub for future cruise calls.