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Korea looks to add Arctic shipping routes amid global rush to the North

Date Created 2025.10.07 Views 10

A container ship loaded with cargo departs from Busan Port on May 10, 2023. [YONHAP]

A container ship loaded with cargo departs from Busan Port on May 10, 2023. [YONHAP]

 
Korea is accelerating efforts to join the Arctic shipping race, betting that shorter routes to Europe could cut costs and ease pressure on traditional trade lanes. But sanctions on Russia, environmental challenges and rising geopolitical tensions may complicate the payoff. 
 
On Saturday, China’s Haijie shipping company dispatched its container vessel Istanbul Bridge from Qingdao to Europe via the Northeast Passage, bypassing the Suez Canal. The ship will stop in Felixstowe, Britain, before reaching Gdansk, Poland. The Arctic shortcut trims the journey to 18 days — about two weeks faster than the Suez route.

The 5,600-kilometer (3480-mile) Northeast Passage runs from the Bering Sea near Alaska to the Barents Sea, weaving through Russian waters and its exclusive economic zone. Although the route’s first recorded use dates back to 1906, traffic remained limited to single digits annually for a century. Shipments have accelerated recently, with 41 vessels in 2023 and 38 in 2024. 
 
Cargo volume surged from 5.43 million tons in 2015 to 37.9 million tons last year. Moscow aims to lift that figure to 150 million tons by 2030, roughly 10 percent of the current Suez Canal traffic. Russia has begun upgrading key ports such as Murmansk and Arkhangelsk and expanding Arctic rail links to build an integrated land-sea logistics network.
  

Seoul is also moving quickly. The Lee Jae Myung administration included Arctic route development in its national policy agenda, projecting that year-round navigation will be possible around 2030. Korea plans to launch a trial voyage next year on the Northeast Passage as a first step. The government is also accelerating construction of the new Jinhae port in South Gyeongsang and has allocated 550 billion won ($395 million) to build one icebreaker a year for five years.
 
Shipping remains Korea’s backbone. According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, 1.665 billion tons — or 99.7 percent — of the nation’s 1.67 billion tons of export and import cargo in 2023 moved by sea. The Arctic shortcut offers an alternative to bottlenecked global waterways. 
 
A container ship sailing from Busan to Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, could reduce its voyage distance by as much as 40 percent, or about 7,000 kilometers, and cut travel time by more than 10 days. Korea Maritime Institute estimates the cost of one summer voyage from Busan to Rotterdam via the Northeast Passage at $3 million, about 22 percent cheaper than the $3.83 million Suez route. The route could also diversify Korea’s energy imports, as about 60 percent of Russia’s oil and gas reserves lie in the Arctic. Opportunities for distant-water fishing and resource use may expand as well.
  

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a presentational event for masterplans of key settlements in Russia's Arctic zone and development projects of the Northern Sea Route on March 27. [TASS/YONHAP]

Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a presentational event for masterplans of key settlements in Russia's Arctic zone and development projects of the Northern Sea Route on March 27. [TASS/YONHAP]

 
But hurdles remain. Even in summer, sudden ice formation can halt navigation or leave ships stranded. 
 
Park Jin-ku, senior researcher at the Korea Polar Research Institute, said current satellite data is outdated. “Most satellite information is two days old. It can’t capture rapid ice changes. To set safe routes, we need satellites that collect real-time data,” Park said.
 
In winter, icebreaker fees and insurance costs climb, while longer sailing times undermine the route’s cost-effectiveness. Some areas are less than seven meters (23 feet) deep, too shallow for large container vessels. Russia sets the sailing rules, requiring vessels to complete strict procedures and submit frequent reports. Violations risk detention or suspension. For now, progress also depends on the lifting of Western sanctions against Russia.
 
“Even if sanctions are lifted, Russia’s military ties with North Korea, U.S. checks on China, and Russia–China cooperation in the Arctic will continue to pose dilemmas for Korea," said Bae Kyu-sung, research professor at the Korea–Siberia Center at Pai Chai University. "Overcoming these geopolitical obstacles is essential to accelerate Arctic route development.”
 

In this photo taken on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, a polar bear walks on ice near in Tilichiki, about 936 kilometers (585 miles) north of Petropavlosk Kamchatsky, Russia. [AP/YONHAP]

In this photo taken on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, a polar bear walks on ice near in Tilichiki, about 936 kilometers (585 miles) north of Petropavlosk Kamchatsky, Russia. [AP/YONHAP]

 
Environmental concerns loom as well. More ship traffic could disrupt Arctic ecosystems and indigenous communities. 
 
"The International Maritime Organization’s Polar Code already requires clean fuels. But other issues remain, such as underwater noise and microplastics from ships," said Jeong Ji-hoon, secretary-general of the Korea Arctic Research Consortium.
 
Analysts warn that Seoul must design its Arctic shipping policy as a long-term, multi-layered strategy that also encompasses future Arctic development.
 
Law firm Shin & Kim wrote in a recent report that “beyond commercial access, it is essential to build a legal and policy risk management system and scenario-based strategies.”

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