Ieodo International Seminar to discuss geopolitic issues in East Asian waters

Koh Choong-suk, chairman of the Society of Ieodo Research / Courtesy of Society of Ieodo Research

The Society of Ieodo Research hosts the Ieodo International Seminar at Hotel The One on Jeju Island, starting Oct. 10.

Named after Korea’s southernmost islet, the nongovernmental body has studied various maritime issues of the country’s South Sea.

Marking its eighth anniversary, the two-day seminar is set to discuss prevailing concerns about “China’s expansionist policies in light of President Xi Jinping’s third term,” the society said in a press release.

“(China’s) maritime expansion is likely to lead to conflict and confrontation. For a peaceful and cooperative future in East Asian waters, it is critical for the nations in the region to remain vigilant about maritime expansionism,” Koh Choong-suk, chairman of the Society of Ieodo Research, said.

“This seminar aims to foster international cooperation and dialogue among East Asian countries under the shared vision of ‘One Ocean.’ We hope to explore meaningful pathways to maritime peace through dialogue and collaboration.”

The society added that discussions are expected to include China’s stance on international law after its rejection of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on the South China Sea dispute, the ongoing territorial conflict between Japan and China over Senkaku — or Diaoyu — Islands as well as Korea and China’s competition over maritime jurisdiction surrounding the waters near Ieodo, or Ieo Islet.

Not only homegrown scholars, including Keimyung University Chinese professor Lee Ji-yong and Korea Maritime Institute Senior Researcher Park Young-kil, but also foreign experts such as Sasakawa Peace Foundation Senior Research Fellow Kawakami Yasuhiro and Tamkang University International Relations Institute professor Lin Ying-yu will join this year’s seminar.

The South China Sea dispute, one of the seminar’s key discussions, goes back to 2013 when the Philippines brought the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration against China and its introduction of the maritime line claiming dominion of several islands in the disputed waters between the two countries.

In July 2016, the arbitral tribunal ruled in favor of the Philippines on most of its submissions, but China immediately rejected the ruling, claiming “the (disputed) water has historically long belonged to it.”

Other Asian countries, including Vietnam and Malaysia, also rejected the ruling, but the United Nations, the tribunal’s upper body, has yet to hold any position on the case or on the disputed claims.

The Senkaku Islands dispute, or Diaoyu Islands dispute, is another maritime territorial issue between Japan and China over several uninhibited islands near Japan’s Ryukyu Islands.

In 2013, tension between the two regional powerhouses mounted as China set up the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone that includes the islands, with the announcement that it would require all aircraft entering the zone to file a flight plan and submit radio frequencies.

Ieodo, or Ieo islet, is another longtime source of maritime disputes between Korea and China since it falls in the overlap of the Chinese and Korean exclusive economic zones.