Korea / China passenger ferries dark and bright

Among passenger ferry trades between Inchon and 7 cities in China, Shanghai and Dandong trades this year saw leaps in the numbers of passengers following the "Korean Wave". On the other hand, boddari peddlers decreased drastically due to intense regulation by Korean and Chinese customs.

Inchon Regional Maritime Affairs and Fisheries reported that passengers in the Shanghai trade stood at 9,037 during the period of January to August, up 61% from 5,630 in the corresponding period of last year. Passengers in the Dandong trade also increased by 5% to 57,898 from 55,243 last year.

However, Weihai trade plummeted to 104,000 this year from 118,000 last year. Qingdao also showed a drop in passenger traffic to 21,000 from 43,000 and Dalian passenger traffic fell to 41,000 from 57,000.

A source at an Inchon/Shanghai international passenger ferry company said, "We can successfully draw more passengers, specifically Chinese passengers, by serving a direct service between Inchon and Shanghai."