Seoul should forge peace zone in East China Sea

Koh Choong-suk President of the Society of Ieodo Research

Korea can use the Ieodo issue to build confidence among countries bordering the East China Sea and transform the area into a “peace zone,” an expert said Tuesday.

To do so, Ko Choong-suk, director of the Society of Ieodo Research, said Seoul should take a long-term approach to maritime delimitation, starting by fully discerning the intentions of China, which claims jurisdiction over the submerged rock – despite it being located closer to the Korean Peninsula.

“In the long run, it is not appropriate to make Ieodo a territory disputed by militaries. That would be a big loss when it comes to national power and it would bring insecurity and distrust,” Ko told The Korea Times. “Korea, China and Japan need to make the East China Sea a peace zone to share peacefully.”

The rock sits in the overlap of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Korea and China. But Seoul and Beijing have yet to make headway during 16 rounds of negotiations over Ieodo and the delimitation of their maritime boundary. Some say China’s protest over Seoul’s jurisdiction ties in with its bid for greater naval clout.

Ko said Korea, China and Japan should seek ways to cooperate in the resource-abundant East China Sea, including through the Seoul-run Ieodo Ocean Research Center.

“We have to find out the way to utilize the research station gradually with other nations. If neighboring nations exchange knowledge and information in the humanities, culture, history, natural science, differences in viewpoints will decrease, which will create confidence to make the peace zone,” he said.

In terms of dealing with Beijing, Ko said a patient strategy would work best, citing recent history. In March, Bangladesh won a longstanding dispute with Myanmar over the delimitation of a maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal. Bringing the case before the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea, it earned a full 200 nautical mile EEZ.

Vietnam and China were also able to agree in 2005 on a maritime delimitation in the Gulf of Tonkin through long term negotiations.

“The government has been negotiating on the delimitation of the maritime boundary with the Chinese government since 1997, which means it’s a process that takes some time to reach a satisfying result. We need to maintain a steady attitude.

He added, “Calm and objective judgment is required to predict the purpose and motion of China.”

The call for shared efforts comes at a time of dispute over maritime territory among Korea, China and Japan. Cooperation in the East China Sea could have a positive effect on overall relations but it must be carried out in a sincere, fulsome manner, Ko said.

“International negotiation and cooperation is needed. That should be followed by continuous cooperation, discussion and information sharing by scholars and NGOs from these nations.”

Clearing up differences in the East China Sea is increasingly seen as a pressing task given its strategic importance as a source of natural resources and a valuable sea lane. It is also an important fishery area as Ieodo is near where the Tshushima warm current moves northward and the West Sea coastal waters move south, both converging with coastal waters from the Chinese mainland.

He said the Society of Ieodo Research Society would play its role in fostering understanding. Established in 2007, the organization has sought to raise awareness and “to establish academic logic to protect the Ieodo area.”

Ko said the organization would launch a study on China’s strategy toward Ieodo. He encouraged society to learn more about the reef’s importance to Korea. “To make people to realize the importance of Ieodo, teachers at the chalkboard should know about it in detail,” he said, adding that the research society is authorized as a teacher training institute. <The Korea Times/Kim Young-jin>

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