Newsletter

The Northeast Asian History Foundation held an international seminar on May 25-27 at Best Western Premier Songdo Park Hotel in cooperation with relevant institutions. The first 'Territory and Oceans Seminar' took place in 2007 on Ship No. 3006 of Jeju Coast Guard. This year marks the fifth year, and the title of the seminar is changed to 'Territory and Oceans Seminar'. In particular, the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI), which is a prestigious research institute in natural science, participates as a joint sponsor of the seminar starting from this year, along with the Korea Coast Guard, the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) as well as the Foundation.

Ocean Offers Marine Transportation Routes & Natural Resources

This conference made great achievements in terms of quality and quantity. The Foundation's President Chung Jaejeong, Korea Coast Guard Commissioner General Mo Kang-in, KMI President Kim Hakso, and KORDI President Kang Jeong-geuk offered congratulatory messages and encouragements, and it was the first time all of them were present at the conference. In his remarks, President Chung mentioned that the ocean offers us marine transportation routes and natural resources, and the East Sea and Dokdo are important to us not only for historical reasons but also in terms of national security and economy. In addition, Professor Kim Chan-gyu, who is Korean Society of the Law of the Sea and a a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, offered congratulatory remarks.

Topics for discussion consisted of current issues concerning maritime laws as well as issues with policy implications. The first session was organized by KMI, and Chang Hakbong (Director of International Marine Affairs and Territory, KMI) served as a moderator.

The topic of the first session was "US interests in East Asia", and Professor Edward Miles of University of Washington made a presentation on this issue. The second topic was "case study: International Court of Justice's judgment on the Black Sea Border Delimitation", and Professor Yee Sienho of Wuhan University presented a paper. Director Kim Seonpyo (International Legal Affairs Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade), Nguyen Duy Chien (Official, Department of Propaganda, Information and Database in National Boundary Committee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vietnam) and Dr. Park Young-gil (KMI) participated as discussants in the first session.

The second session was organized by the Foundation, and Professor Lee Seokyong of Hannam University moderated the session. Professor Peter E. Raper (University of the Free State, South Africa) made a presentation on "naming of maritime features", and Dr. Kim Youngsoo (NAHF) presented a paper on "analysis of provisions concerning territorial and maritime issues in treaties signed between modern Korea and global powerhouses". Discussants of the second session were Professor Hiromi Sakai (Osaka University) and Professor Kim Seokhyeon (Department of Law, Dangook University).

The Foundation's Ambassador for Geographic Naming, Chang Donghee, introduced an international resolution which recommends the marking of both geographic names when there are conflicting views concerning geographic features shared by two or more countries. In particular, he stressed that both East Sea and the Sea of Japan should be marked, considering that the territorial seas and Exclusive Economic Zones of Korea and Japan overlap in this area. Professor Raper mentioned that he is currently in Korea as the Foundation's visiting fellow in order to further study this issue.

KORDI organized the third session, which was moderated by Professor Choi Taehyeon (Hanyang University; Chairman of the Korean Society of International Law). The first presenter of the third session was Dr. Park Seongwook (KORDI), who discussed "national policies for efficient development of ocean energy". In addition, Dr. Yang Heecheol (KORDI) made a presentation regarding "legal interpretation on the agreement between China and Japan concerning joint development of natural resources in East China Sea". I participated in this session as a discussant, together with Professor Lee Seokwoo (Law School, Inha University).

The host of the fourth session was Korea Coast Guard, and Vice President Kwon Moonsang of KORDI moderated the session. The last topic at the seminar was "the role of Coast Guard in safeguarding marine resources", and Professor Kim Hyeonsoo of Inha University stressed the need for enactment of "Maritime Security act". Discussants for this session were Professor Jeong Gapyong (Law School, Youngsan University) and Senior Superintendent Kim Honghee (Korea Coast Guard).

Plenary discussions were moderated by Professor Lee Janghee (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies), and there was a lively Q&A session between presenters and the audience. Professor Kim Buchan (Jeju National University) made an inquiry about division of labor and cooperation between the military forces and the police regarding coastal protection. In response, Professor Kim Hyeonsoo introduced the concept of "maritime security" and it has to do with defining the roles and responsibilities of Korea Coast Guard. As for the inquiry regarding marine resources in East China Sea, Dr. Yang Heecheol emphasized the importance of establishing a system for cooperation among Korea, China and Japan.

Bringing Together Scholars of Maritime Issues and Relevant Institutions

In response to a question about treaties signed between Korea and other countries in the last days of the Korean Empire, Dr. Kim Youngsoo (NAHF) stressed the need for comparative analysis between the copies of treaties in Korea and other countries. Regarding my inquiry about islands' legal status ("Is it possible to distinguish rocks from islands according to the size of an island?), Professor Yee Sienho maintained the position that he could not provide an answer to this question because the ICJ did not give a definitive answer on purpose.

For the past five years, Territory and Oceans Seminar took place in tandem with a separate event, 'International Maritime Security Conference', organized by Korea Coast Guard. Participants had a chance to visit the Ieodo Ocean Research Station last year, and we were invited to watch Korea Coast Guard's anti-terrorist drill. It was a very impressive event, and it reminded us of the efforts made by Korea Coast Guard for safeguarding our rights and interests in the maritime area. In addition, the 6th Territory and Oceans Seminar is expected to take place in Korea Coast Guard's training ship which is currently under construction.

This year's conference was very successful. Numerous experts and authorities participated in the conference, which provided a rare opportunity for academic institutions, research institutes and the government authorities to gather together and discuss various issues at stake. It contributed greatly to safeguarding our maritime sovereignty by raising the awareness of maritime issues and reaching a consensus on the importance of the ocean. With consent of presenters, the discussions at the conference will be organized and published so that they can be shared with a wider audience.