By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
After unknowingly dumping waste in Japanese waters for about a decade, the government said Monday that it will belatedly correct the designated waste disposal zones in the East Sea by April.
Government officials say the decision was made to ward off concerns that the issue would escalate into a diplomatic standoff between Seoul and Tokyo, similar to the conflict that came after it was found that Russia dumped nuclear waste in the East Sea for some 30 years since 1957.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said some parts of the waste dump areas in the waters off the peninsula's eastern coast currently overlap with the continental shelf area, beyond the borderline of the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of Japan.
Recognizing the intrusion, the Japanese government called for proper adjustments by filing a protest through the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to the maritime ministry in 2005.
It highlighted that the two waste dump areas at issue in the East Sea ― areas covering almost 1,000 square kilometers ― were designated beyond the demarcation line between the continental shelves of South Korea and Japan.
Since 1988, Korea has loaded various types of waste in the areas, which was later in 1993 officially assigned a waste dump zone according to domestic laws.
However, despite Japan's petition, no initiatives were made until the Foreign Ministry and other government agencies acknowledged last November that the situation could possibly dent the bilateral relations.
The Chosun Ilbo, a local daily, quoted a ranking government official as saying that the continental shelf area and the EEZ ``are quasi-territorial waters of any country, as the country has exclusive jurisdiction over resource development, environmental preservation and fishery rights in those areas.''
The official stressed that the issue is equivalent to Korea emptying waste in Japanese territory, adding that ``we should take responsibility according to international law if Japan proves that its marine environment has been contaminated.''
But in response to the report, the maritime ministry released a statement that the government has banned dumping waste in the Japanese-controlled areas since 1988, when the two countries specified their respective EEZs, so it bears no responsibility.
It added, though, that proper studies will be done in the overlapping area to adjust the zones by mid-year.
jhan@koreatimes.co.kr
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