Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hosts 'International Conference on Law of the Sea'... Discussing Marine Environment Protection and Regional Cooperation

Hosted by the Korean Society of International Law and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The 5th International Conference on the Law of the Sea, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and organized by the Korean Society of International Law and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), was held over two days from the 3rd to the 4th in a hybrid format combining in-person and online participation.

The conference opened with a welcoming address by Multilateral Diplomacy Coordinator Ham Sang-wook, an opening speech by Park Deok-young, President of the Korean Society of International Law, and a keynote speech by Baek Jin-hyun, ITLOS Judge and former President. Four ITLOS judges, including Deputy President Thomas Heidar, and leading scholars in international law from both domestic and international fields attended to discuss marine environmental protection and regional cooperation.

In his congratulatory remarks, Multilateral Diplomacy Coordinator Ham Sang-wook explained, "The maritime boundaries drawn by humans are meaningless before nature, so cooperation among countries is essential for marine environmental protection," and emphasized, "It is time to seek wisdom from international maritime law to protect our daily lives from the increasingly severe marine pollution."

Following this, Park Deok-young, President of the Korean Society of International Law, stated in his opening remarks that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) faces new challenges in response to changing times, and expressed hope that "this conference will serve as an opportunity to present solutions to issues faced by the international community, such as marine litter and conservation of marine biological resources."

In his keynote speech, ITLOS Judge Baek Jin-hyun emphasized, "The obligation of states to cooperate in protecting the marine environment has now become part of customary international law," and pointed out, "It should be noted that under international maritime law, all states bear specific obligations to ensure that they do not pollute the environment of other states."

The conference featured in-depth discussions on the latest issues and challenges in international maritime law under the theme "Regional Cooperation and Marine Environmental Protection under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," including △ Obligations of Cooperation under UNCLOS (Session 1), △ Regional Cooperation for Marine Environmental Protection (Session 2), △ Cooperation in Marine Scientific Research in Overlapping Areas (Session 3), △ Regulation and Prevention of Marine Pollution (Session 4), and △ Peaceful Resolution of Marine Environmental Disputes (Session 5).

Participants reviewed the specific contents of the cooperation obligations imposed by UNCLOS in various fields such as marine environmental protection through ITLOS case law, and discussed ways to promote the peaceful use of the seas from the perspective of maritime law, including marine scientific research and marine pollution regulation.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, "This conference is evaluated as an opportunity for our government to reaffirm its commitment to actively contribute to the formation of international maritime law norms, while enhancing domestic understanding of current international maritime law issues and, in the long term, strengthening our capacity to shape international maritime law norms."

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