An ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) approach becomes more important as an alternative management method for a sustainable development of fisheries domestically and internationally. Many methods of applying a practical EBFM to fisheries management have been investigated, and considerable attention has been given to developing effective indicators of the present status of and changes in ecosystems and putting them to practical use. Among ecosystem indicators, developing socioeconomic indicators for EBFM is particularly important. This is because socioeconomic factors have direct effects on ecosystems, and ecosystems have direct effects on socioeconomic factors. Therefore, it is imperative that socioeconomic indicators are developed and evaluated in order to predict changes in ecosystems and to provide advice for effective fisheries management. This study is aimed to develop socioeconomic indicators which can be combined with biological and ecological indicators, in order to conduct the ecosystem-based fisheries assessment. In terms of socioeconomic indicators, five socioeconomic criteria were considered as important attributes of socioeconomic changes. These criteria include economical production, business conditions, income, market, and employment indicators. For evaluation of newly developed socioeconomic indicators, the Traffic Light System (TLS) method was used. In addition, on the basis of the application of developed indicators to the Korean large purse seine fishery, the socioeconomic conditions of the fishery and the usefulness of the indicators were evaluated and management implications were discussed.