The Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) is a think tank and research center developing South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

n policies on marine affairs and fisheries, operated by the South Korean government through of the Office of Government Policy Coordination. KMI was established under its current name in 1997, though expanded from a research center created in 1984 specializing in shipping economics.

KMI is organized into five research divisions:

• Marine & Coastal Policy Research Department
• Shipping, Port & Logistics Research Department
• Fisheries Policy Research Department
• Marine Territory and Industry Research Department
• Fisheries Outlook Center

and has two overseas centers:

• Shanghai Research Center
• Korea-US Marine Policy Joint Research Center, at the University of Rhode Island
  University of Rhode Island
  The University of Rhode Island is the principal public research university in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. Its main campus is located in Kingston. Additional campuses include the Feinstein Campus in Providence, the Narragansett Bay Campus in Narragansett, and the W. Alton Jones Campus in West...
  
  

KMI is headquartered in Mapo-gu

Mapo-gu

Mapo-gu is a gu, or district, within Seoul, South Korea. It lies northwest of the Han River. Several universities and government buildings are located here. Mapo is especially well-known for the Hongdae club district around Hongik University. Seoul Metropolitan Subway Line 1, Line 5, and Line 6...

, Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, having a staff of about 180.