Incorporated in 2001 as Korea’s first cruising yacht builder, Blue Galaxy built its first yacht manufacturing plant in Yangyang in 2002
The company had designed and built a 12 metre catamaran in 2004 and a 11 metre trimaran in 2005.
Lee Joonghee, its CEO has seen his company grow in strength until now where it can proudly claim to be one of Koreas foremost boat builders. He used to manufacture pianos but started his own yacht business after falling in love with the idea of yachting.
While we were at the Korea Boat Show he told us, “Most Koreans think yacht sailing is an extravagant sport reserved for the rich and noble class. But this is not the case. Now some clubs and yacht schools have started to rent yachts out, more and more people have enjoyed sailing yachts. I am confident that in the future renting a yacht will be as common, as cheap and as easy as renting a bicycle.”
“But,” he added with a note of caution in his voice, “For more people to enjoy sailing yachts, it is essential that as a nation we develop the necessary technology and build more marinas. Imagine you have nowhere to park your car. The same thing applies to a yacht. Who can enjoy sailing a yacht if there is no marina to park the yacht? Fortunately, more and more local governments, including Gyeonggi Province, have started to become more committed to the water sports industry,” he told us.
Lee believes in the future of the Korean marine leisure market. He has attended each of the last three boat shows and says they do a great deal to promote the industry
His company may not yet be able to show a dramatic financial performance, but it has he told us “Benefited from the Korea International Boat Show. It is such a great experience for me to meet with competitive companies from England, Australia and Holland.”
He told us, “The Korea International Boat Show is a great place for not only businesses but also visitors. I met with many foreign companies, and they said that the Korea International Boat Show is a well-planned, clean boat show.
I hope more boat shows like the Korea International Boat Show will be available to public elsewhere in the country, and that will give a boost the water sports industry that we all need so much.”