You only get 6 months of vacation a year, but your annual salary is 300 million won?!
All the stories about sailors told by the captain

While professions like judge, doctor, and firefighter are known in various ways, stories about shipboard professions are rare.
This book provides fascinating anecdotes and inspiration about little-known shipboard professions, as well as information on how to become a captain with a salary in the hundreds of millions.
It covers, without reservation, the reasons for choosing the sea as a career, the preparations and difficulties to become a navigator, life and roles in Korean merchant ships, the advantages and limitations, and the trial and error and leap forward experienced while challenging overseas shipping companies.
The author's journey from being a trainee navigator to first mate and then captain is the very essence of 'ocean life', filled with all the joys and sorrows.

The film realistically portrays the pressure of becoming a captain in his mid-thirties, commanding a ship weighing tens of thousands of tons, and being responsible for all the crew, as well as the leadership and determination required to overcome a crisis.
In addition, we provide a balanced comparison of wages, working conditions, and cultural differences between domestic and international shipping companies, thereby dispelling widespread misunderstandings and illusions.
It honestly illuminates the truth and lies of overseas shipping companies compared to Korean shipping companies, broadening the horizons of those who dream of becoming global maritime engineers.
This is the author's first book, having already shared the charm of the sea through his YouTube channel. For the general reader, it will be an interesting essay on the charm of life on the sea, and for those preparing to become a maritime engineer, it will be a most helpful guidebook.

The ship I was on was a 183-meter oil product tanker.
When I first boarded the ship, I greeted the officers, including the captain and first mate, and was assigned to my quarters.
But actually, I was a bit embarrassed.
Because my first accommodation was a hospital.
They said there were too many changing crews and there were no rooms available.
So my first bed at sea became a hospital cot.
Without even unpacking my large suitcase, I turned on the bedside light and started writing in my diary.
July 5, 2012.
First boarding.
Don't give up!'
--- p.26, from “The hidden meaning of the word ‘okay’”

Typhoons can rock a ship for a few days or even a week.
It was then that I realized.
Why do all the bathroom showers and washrooms on a ship have handrails like those in a disabled bathroom? Why do all the corridors on a ship have handrails? Why are the food bowls in the dining room attached to the table? Why are the computer monitors screwed to the desk?
A wave that could swallow up a building splashed from the bow and flew 300 meters and crashed into the bridge window.
--- p.45, from “The Yellow Sea I Experienced for the First Time in My Life”

You might think that going up a level from second mate to first mate isn't that much of a burden, but there's a difference between second mate and first mate that can't be captured in the numbers 2 and 1.
Third, second, first.
In Korean, only the numbers change, but even if you translate only the job titles into English, the difference is clearly visible.
3rd Officer, 2nd Officer, and 1st Officer.
--- p.63, from "Does a Place Make a Man? Becoming a First-Class Navigator"

I spent the night agonizing over whether I should seize this barely available opportunity, even if it was only half-baked, or wait for another, unspecified reply. Finally, I made up my mind.
“Son, have you decided what to do with the British prehistoric people?” “Yeah.
“I’m going to go.” Let’s go out into the wider world, let’s go and do it somehow.
This was the mindset that extinguished all other uncertainties.
And I didn't know it then, but this one mindset opened a new path in my life.
--- p.75, from “The Goose’s Dream, or rather, the Dream of Personal Transmission”

“Yes, Lee, nice to meet you.
"You came here after working as a first mate in Korea? Then let's take a few tests and answer to the best of your knowledge." As we were drinking coffee together on the bridge, the captain suddenly spoke.
"What is the definition of Dew Point? How is it calculated?" "Tell me the procedures after an LNG ship docks." The questions continued for about an hour.
In English, of course.
--- p.99p, from "You, I guess you should study English"

There was no doubt that it was social phobia.
I was afraid and terrified of the pressure and contempt from the captain and first mate, the anxiety about whether I could survive in this company, and the resulting uncertainty about my future.
Knowing that I had social phobia didn't solve anything.
If things continued this way, it was clear that my personal transmission would end in failure.
--- p.115, from "Just wait and see, I'll do it"

As soon as the interview was over, all the strength left my body.
The time and effort I poured into the past year and a half flashed before my eyes. Looking back, I have no regrets.
I did my best, and if I failed to get promoted, it meant my skills were lacking.
At the same time, I had a gut feeling that I was passing.
For some reason, the interviewer's final question, "What are your final words?" sounded like it was asking for my last words as a second mate.
--- p.135p, from the saying, “A crisis is an opportunity”

I had no way of knowing that day, when I fought with Marco in the cargo control room, he would be the one to give me my last letter of recommendation.
Had I known this in advance, would I have been able to avoid arguing with him and just get along? Of course, there are no "ifs" in life, so I wondered if any imagination would be meaningless.
But it was clear that the flow of life and relationships was as unpredictable as the waves of the sea.
--- p.185, from “Last Promotion Recommendation Letter”

In sailing, you must constantly ask yourself the question, 'what if?'
This is especially true for the captain, who is the highest ranking official.
When the captain decides, the crew follows.
This is especially true when a captain's misjudgment can put the entire crew at risk.
I kept thinking about how much to slow down when decelerating and when to accelerate after slowing down.
In the worst case scenario, if the typhoon's forward speed was slower than forecast, our ship would have to slow down even further, and there was a possibility that we would not be able to make the next port arrival schedule.
--- p.231, from “How to Weather a Typhoon”

"What do you think it'll be like to go out to sea for the first time as a captain? Don't you get nervous just thinking about it?" "No, I'm not nervous." Chris shook his head with a kind smile.
“Captain Dong-Hyeon, you are wrong.
You have to be nervous.
You have to be nervous.
“That’s the captain’s position,” he continued in a subdued tone.
“It doesn’t matter how prepared you are or how much experience you have.
You have to be nervous.
“Captain Dong-Hyeon’s decision determines the lives of 30 crew members and their families.”

--- p.245, from “Captain’s Leadership”