Will the 'Donghae' vs 'Ilbonhae' Naming Conflict Ease? IHO to Decide on Assigning 'Numbers' Instead of 'Proper Names' in November

IHO Proposes Assigning 'Numbers' Instead of 'Names' for Oceans... Positive Evaluations from South Korea, North Korea, Japan, and Other Related Countries
Hope to Resolve Long-standing Korea-Japan Disputes

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] At the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) General Assembly to be held this November, it is expected that the boundary of oceans and seas (S23) will be denoted by numbers. Accordingly, the ongoing dispute between South Korea and Japan over the naming of the East Sea (East Sea) and the Sea of Japan (Sea of Japan) is expected to be somewhat resolved.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the IHO on the 21st, the IHO Secretary-General will brief member countries on the results of informal consultations regarding the revision of the international standard nautical chart 'S23' at the 2nd General Assembly scheduled to be held online on November 16. The IHO has proposed a method of denoting maritime boundaries by numbers. This proposal has already been circulated among member countries.

The S23 published by the IHO serves as a standard for chart production. Since the first edition in 1929 until the 3rd edition in 1953, the East Sea was labeled as the Sea of Japan, and the Korean government has consistently advocated since 1997 for dual notation of the East Sea and the Sea of Japan. At the 1st General Assembly held in April 2017, the IHO conducted informal consultations with the concerned parties and decided to report on this matter this time, but South Korea, North Korea, and Japan have not reached an agreement in two rounds of consultations.

Therefore, the IHO Secretary-General proposed the 'S130' plan, which identifies maritime areas with unique numerical identifiers instead of assigning unique names that differ among related countries. If this plan is adopted, it will be possible to establish a geographic information system using numbers rather than unique names in the digital era, and it is expected to partially resolve the inter-country conflicts over the naming of the East Sea and the Sea of Japan. This is because neither the East Sea nor the Sea of Japan will be used.

In diplomatic circles, the evaluation of the new notation method by member countries is generally positive, and it is considered highly likely to pass. Countries including the United States, Canada, France, Norway, Sweden, and South Korea have expressed positive positions. North Korea is also reported to have conveyed its support to the IHO. Japan, which has opposed South Korea over the naming of the sea, has stated that it understands the purpose and is ready to cooperate constructively with member countries.

The South Korean government plans to actively participate in the development of S130. However, apart from the introduction of the new standard S130, the government plans to continue efforts to persuade governments and private map companies of various countries to use the East Sea notation.

Meanwhile, it is known that the use of the East Sea notation has greatly expanded since the early 2000s. The proportion of world maps labeled as the East Sea was only about 2% in the early 2000s, but thanks to public and private efforts, recent surveys show it exceeds 40%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.