This study analyzed ship's passing characteristics in relation with incoming and outgoing routes in Yeosu Gwangyang Port, and examined the risk factors and measures for safety management of marine traffic. The number of passing ships in Yeosu Gwangyang Port was about 60,000 ships annually based on 2014, and the tonnage rose 73% from 447,000 thousand tons in 2005 to 770,000 thousand tons in 2014. Actually, the number of large passing ships was revealed to enormously increase. As a result of marine traffic survey in Yeosu Gwangyang Port for three days in August 2015, daily average passing ships were 408 ships, and 77% of the total passing ships passed between 04:00 and 20:00. The chemical ships and general cargo ships took up the most at 58% of the total incoming and outgoing ships, followed by other work ships at 21%, tankers at 8%, fishing vessels at 7.5% and container ships at 5.5%. Concerning the size of passing ships, ships less than 1,000 tons accounted for 58.6% of the total passing ships. Ships of 1,000-5,000 tons were 20.1%, and those of 5,000-10,000 tons were 6.8%, and more than 10,000 tons were 14.4%. Especially, ships of 500 tons and less using mainly coastal passing routes took up 49% of the total passing ships. As for ship's passage ratio by route, Nakpo sea area where many routes meet accounted for 27.2%, specified area 49%, costal route 8%, specified area's incoming and outgoing sea area around Daedo 4.5%, and Dolsan coastal ara and Kumhodo sea area 8.5%. The number of ships standing by for anchoring in the six designated anchorages was 230 for three days. The standby rate for anchoring was 25% based on the specified area passing ships. In Nakpo sea area, where many routes meet, parallel passing and cross passing between ships occurred the most frequently. In the specified area, many cases, in which incoming and outgoing cargo ships at the starting and ending parts and incoming and outgoing work ships and fishing vessels at the coastal routes cross, took place. Consequently, the following measures are urgently needed: active passing management in the Nakpo sea area, where passing routes are complex, specified areas and costal traffic routes, the elimination of rocks in the route close to Myodo, an effort to improve routes including shallow depth area dredging, and rational safety management for small work ships frequently incoming and outgoing the passing routes of large ships, and fishing vessels operated in the sea areas around those passing routes.