On June 9, 2026, South Korean media Asia Economy reported that "in South Korea's offshore wind power projects, the development of infrastructure and the training of specialized personnel are lagging, leading to an increasing reliance on China, with core processes being handled by Chinese-made vessels and Chinese engineers."

According to industry sources, at the construction site of the Nakwol Offshore Wind Power Plant in Yeonggwang County, Jeollanam-do, multiple Chinese-made offshore wind power construction vessels are in operation. The power plant, scheduled for completion this year, has an installed capacity of 364.8 MW (megawatts), making it the largest offshore wind power project undertaken in South Korea.

The construction of offshore wind farms requires numerous vessels, including Wind Turbine Installation Vessels (WTIVs), Crew Transfer Vessels (CTVs), and Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) for maintenance and management. Up to approximately 50 vessels have been deployed at the Nakwol construction site, but major vessels, including the installation vessels, are said to have been built in China. Furthermore, 70 to 80 Chinese engineers are reportedly stationed on each of these vessels, indicating that the installation of offshore wind power equipment is virtually led by the Chinese side.

Some industry officials have expressed concerns, stating that "the possibility of information regarding South Korea's seabed topography leaking abroad cannot be completely ruled out," and that "this could lead to a gap in national security management." There are also calls for systematic management and verification of seabed-related information acquired by Chinese engineers during their work.

Moreover, there are suggestions that it should be confirmed whether Chinese workers operating construction machinery possess appropriate qualifications.

In response to these concerns, the South Korean government has indicated a plan to conduct intensive inspections of the project, focusing on security aspects.

In response to this article, South Korean netizens have posted a flurry of critical comments, such as: "There are many Korean companies with experience in offshore wind power construction, such as Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Hyosung Heavy Industries, so why China?", "This sounds like the pro-China Lee Jae-myung administration," "Hasn't all the seabed topography information already been taken out? This is an act of selling out the country," "If even Chinese-made surveillance cameras are installed for facility management, all information will leak straight to China," "National infrastructure like energy should be built by domestic talent, even if labor costs are high. It's the same as not being able to deploy Chinese people in the defense sector just because there's a shortage of military service personnel," and "Does this industry in Korea have no idea of developing its own technology?" (Translation/Editing: Asa-e)