Ieodo Int'l Seminar discusses strategies to counter maritime security threats in East Asia

Society of Ieodo Research President Koh Choong-suk, front row center, poses with participants of the ninth Ieodo International Seminar, including scholars from Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines, during the seminar at a hotel on Jeju Island, Sept. 25. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

By Lee Hae-rin

• Published Sep 30, 2025 10:53 AM KST
• Updated Sep 30, 2025 1:56 PM KST

Experts from Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan, Philippines debate policy solutions for maintaining peace

JEJU ISLAND — Leading experts on maritime law and sea disputes convened on Korea’s southern resort island of Jeju last week to explore new strategies for resolving escalating territorial conflicts across East Asia.

At the ninth edition of the Ieodo International Seminar, held between Sept. 25 and 27, experts and scholars underscored Ieodo’s evolving role. Once regarded as a regional symbol, the submerged reef located off the southwest coast of Jeju Island now stands at the center of international maritime interest, requiring global engagement with Korea’s aim to maintain peace and stability throughout the region.

This year’s seminar, themed “New Strategic Responses to Maritime Security Threats in East Asia,” gathered a diverse group of academics from Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan and the Philippines, each lending expertise to urgent debates about maritime challenges in East Asia.

“Today, Ieodo has grown beyond being a subject of academic interest or a regional symbol; it has become a maritime space that draws the attention of the international community,” Koh Choong-suk, president of the Society of Ieodo Research, said in his opening address.

“I sincerely hope that this seminar will serve not only as a venue for academic dialogue, but also as an opportunity to strengthen international friendship and trust, and to share the values of Ieodo with the world,” he said.

The Society of Ieodo Research, a Jeju-based think tank founded in 2007 to engage in academic research, education and promotion of Ieodo, hosted the event jointly with The Korea Times. The event was sponsored by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.

Ieodo, internationally known as Socotra Rock, is a submerged rock 149 kilometers southwest of Marado — the southernmost tip of Korea — and sits where Korean and Chinese exclusive economic zones (EEZ) overlap. The reef is said to surface only when waves crest above 10 meters, and was once thought to be the resting place of Jeju fishermen’s spirits.

Although a handful of historical records trace Ieodo’s origins to Korea, the submerged reef became a flashpoint after the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea extended EEZ rights to 370 kilometers, triggering overlapping claims and renewed challenges from China. China’s territorial claims emerged that year, citing the reef’s location 287 kilometers east of China’s Sheshan Island. Similar disputes have arisen between Beijing and neighboring countries, including Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Despite more than 20 rounds of negotiations, Seoul and Beijing remain at an impasse over an official EEZ boundary.

Lee Choo-kun of the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy offered a sweeping view of contemporary geopolitics, describing a “second Cold War” led by China increasingly challenging the United States.

“The central battlefield of the second Cold War would be the waters of the Western Pacific, and any future conflict between China and the United States would center on naval power,” Lee said during a keynote speech. He cited China’s surging defense spending, which has allowed its navy to surpass that of the United States.

Lee referred to the “peaking power trap” theory, suggesting that bleak prospects for China may drive its leaders to military action, such as an assault on Taiwan. To counterbalance this risk and promote regional peace, he called for cooperation among Pacific nations, including Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Australia and the United States.

Panel sessions examined a range of maritime threats, legal conflicts and policy solutions.

During the first session, Neil S. Silva, a legal officer at the Institute of Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines Law Center, analyzed China’s gray zone strategies and tactics in Southeast Asia.

Min-Shih Shen from the Institute for National Defense and Security Research in Taiwan explained China’s gray zone tactics in the Taiwan Strait and Taiwan’s response, focusing on how Taiwan is relying on the rule of law, strengthened law enforcement capabilities and international cooperation to counter ambiguous pressures from China.

Lee Jun-sung of the Society of Ieodo Research compared China’s maritime gray zone strategies around Ieodo and those at Second Thomas Shoal, an underwater reef in the Spratly Islands of the South China Sea, located 194 kilometers west of the Philippines’ Palawan province.

Later sessions explored the interplay of law and geopolitics in disputed waters.

Renato Cruz de Castro, professor of international studies at De La Salle University in Manila, analyzed the reality of power politics overtaking legal frameworks in territorial disputes such as the 2012 Scarborough Shoal standoff between China and the Philippines.

Nguyen Thi Lan Huong, senior research fellow at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, provided Vietnam’s perspective on maritime and territorial disputes, explaining that the country opposes China’s unilateral fishing ban in the East Sea.

Park Young-kil of the Korea Maritime Institute addressed the complex legal and strategic hurdles in the East China Sea, especially regarding fisheries, energy resources and boundary delimitation.

In the final session, Makoto Seta, an associate professor of Asia-Pacific Studies at Waseda University in Tokyo, warned of a looming submarine cable crisis and called for legal reforms to safeguard underwater communication infrastructure.

Ying-Yu Lin, an associate professor of Tamkang University in Taipei, examined the ripple effects of cross-strait tensions on Korea’s maritime security, stressing broader regional implications.

The panel sessions and discussions — moderated in English by Keimyung University professor Lee Ji-yong, Inha University professor Kim Hyun-soo, former Deputy Registrar of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea Kim Doo-young and Kim Jin-ho of Dankook University — engaged university and industry leaders across Korea.

Participants in the discussion included Youn Young-min of Kunsan National University, Kim Jung-hyun of Korea Naval War College, Kim Jee-yong of the Republic of Korea Naval Academy, Chung Sam-man of the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy, Bang Ho-sam of Chonnam National University, Lee Seo-hee of the Korea Maritime Institute, Doo Hyun-wook of the Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology, and former Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kim Sung-jin.