BUSAN — Marking a major milestone for South Korea's maritime industry, HMM officially celebrated the grand opening of its new headquarters in Busan on October 13.

A commemorative plaque-unveiling ceremony was held at the company’s new office building in Bujeon-dong, Busanjin-gu. The event was attended by prominent figures, including President Lee Jae-myung, Oceans and Fisheries Minister Hwang Jong-woo, Busan Mayor Jeon Jae-su, Korea Development Bank Chairman Park Sang-jin, Korea Ocean Business Corporation President Ahn Byung-gil, and HMM CEO Choi Won-hyuk, alongside company executives and employees.

The highlight of the ceremony occurred when President Lee and other dignitaries unveiled a symbolic HMM sculpture that was relocated from the former Seoul headquarters to the new Busan building, drawing enthusiastic applause from attendees to celebrate the dawn of the Busan era.

HMM officially commenced operations at its temporary Busan office the previous day. Occupying four floors of the DB Insurance building near Seomyeon Subway Station, the temporary workspace houses essential administrative areas, including the CEO’s office.

"We look forward to creating powerful synergies alongside Busan, a city equipped with world-class shipping and logistics infrastructure," CEO Choi Won-hyuk stated. "Furthermore, through proactive investments aligned with our 2030 mid-to-long-term strategy, we will strive to leap forward as a 'global top-tier' shipping company."

Currently, 120 employees are stationed at the HMM Busan office, which includes roughly 90 staff members from the former Busan regional headquarters. Given that HMM has a domestic workforce of around 900, this initial relocation accounts for slightly over 10% of total personnel. The company plans to deploy additional staff to Busan through internal recruitment processes. However, industry observers note that depending on the level of employee interest in relocating to the region, the complete transition into a full-scale Busan headquarters may take some time.

Looking ahead, HMM is also actively pursuing plans to construct a landmark permanent headquarters at the Busan North Port.

The relocation process was set into motion following a labor-management agreement and was formally finalized on May 8 during an extraordinary shareholders' meeting that approved the corporate charter amendment changing the headquarters' registered location to Busan.

The current administration has heavily spearheaded the relocation of both the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and HMM to Busan. The strategic move is designed to aggregate maritime administration, industry, judiciary, and financial functions within Busan—laying the groundwork to spearhead the upcoming Arctic shipping route era and foster a powerful "maritime capital economic zone" capable of rivaling the greater Seoul metropolitan area.

At the time of the relocation decision, HMM emphasized that as the nation's flagship national carrier, the move stems from a shared commitment to national balanced development and sustained corporate growth.

In addition to HMM, several other major domestic shipping companies, including SK Shipping, H-Line Shipping, and Heung-A Shipping, have also committed to relocating their headquarters to Busan.

[ⓒ Global Economic Times. 무단전재-재배포 금지]