The ocean economy plays a critical role in global economic growth, yet it confronts substantial environmental risks. This study employs topic modeling of South Korean news articles to analyze the evolving trends of environmental risks and sustainability in ocean economy. A dataset comprising 50,213 articles from 2008 to 2022 is examined, revealing prevalent environmental concerns that have persisted over the years. The findings demonstrate an increasing emphasis on sustainability and marine environmental issues, as evidenced by prominent keywords related to construction, safety, plastic pollution, and ecosystem conservation. Through Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) in topic modeling, 10 distinct themes are identified, encompassing sustainable fisheries management, accident and disaster response, polar environment, carbon neutrality, microplastic pollution, habitat ecosystems, cruise tourism development, nuclear power plant pollution, and infectious diseases. The outcomes highlight the necessity of collaborative efforts and international partnerships, underpinned by diplomatic cooperation, to effectively address transboundary environmental challenges encountered in the ocean-based industries.