President Lee Jae Myung has made Arctic shipping a priority for South Korea, a shipping powerhouse. Officials say this could help transform Busan and position the Arctic as a regular trade route.

The Northern Sea Route, chiefly used by Chinese and Russian vessels, could shorten voyages and save fuel, but requires Russian cooperation.

South Korea will flag off on Saturday a container ship bound for Europe via the Arctic, testing whether a route opened by melting sea ice can be commercially v