Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea, on Wednesday pledged to transform South Korea into a global leader in shipbuilding, with a focus on eco-friendly and smart vessel technologies.

He vowed to boost the competitiveness of liquefied natural gas- and electric-powered ships, accelerate the commercialization of green fuels and ship batteries and secure leadership in autonomous navigation systems.

Lee also pledged to digitalize the entire shipbuilding process, strengthen small and midsized shipbuilders and foster growth in the maintenance, repair and operations and special-purpose vessel sectors.