Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Ieodo seminar to discuss maritime security threats, cooperation in East Asia
Ieodo Ocean Research Station / Courtesy of Ieodo
By Lee Gyu-lee
The 10th Ieodo International Seminar will bring together experts in maritime security and international law on Jeju Island from Sept. 10 to 12 to discuss growing security threats and cooperation in East Asia.
The Society of Ieodo Research, a Jeju-based think tank, and The Korea Times are jointly are hosting the three-day seminar in Jeju City under the theme “Maritime Security Cooperation Strategies among East Asian Countries: Responding to Intensifying Maritime Security Threats.”
This year’s seminar will examine emerging maritime security challenges in East Asia and explore avenues for strengthening regional cooperation and developing effective responses grounded in international law.
Koh Choong-suk, chairman of the Society of Ieodo Research / Courtesy of Society of Ieodo Research
The opening session will feature a keynote from Chung Kee-yong, special representative for the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The session will examine gray-zone threats and maritime security responses in East Asia, focusing on the growing use of coercive measures below the threshold of armed conflict and their implications for regional maritime security.
Participants will include experts from Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, including Neil Silva, a professor at the University of the Philippines; Ming-Shih Shen, a researcher at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research; and Kenji Shimoyama, a professor at the Japan Coast Guard Academy.
Korean participants include former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kim Sung-jin and former Ambassador to Spain Park Hee-kwon.
“As the maritime security environment in East Asia is rapidly changing, the importance of cooperation among countries and responses based on international law is growing,” the institution said.
“We hope the seminar will serve as a forum to assess key maritime security issues in East Asia and explore practical ways to promote peace and cooperation.”
Ieodo, internationally known as Socotra Rock, is a submerged reef located about 149 kilometers south of Mara Island, Korea's southernmost island. It lies within the overlapping exclusive economic zones of Korea and China.