Ieodo Int'l Seminar highlights need for practical cooperation amid gray zone threats

JEJU ISLAND — Maritime security experts called for stronger practical cooperation to counter gray zone coercion and prevent maritime tensions from escalating, as they gathered in Jeju last week for the 10th Ieodo International Seminar.

The seminar, held from Thursday to Saturday, brought together specialists from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam to discuss rising maritime security challenges in East Asia, including China’s gray zone activities, maritime disputes, the role of international law and the security of sea lines of communication (SLOC).

Co-organized by the Jeju-based think tank Society of Ieodo Research and The Korea Times, the seminar was held under the theme “Maritime Security Cooperation Strategies among East Asian Countries: Responding to Intensifying Maritime Security Threats.”

In his opening remarks, Koh Choong-suk, president of the Society of Ieodo Research, said the seminar’s 10th edition reflected the growing international importance of Ieodo — also known as Socotra Rock — and the broader maritime issues surrounding the region.

“The discussions led by distinguished scholars and experts from around the world make this gathering all the more meaningful. I am confident that your research and deliberations will enrich academic understanding of Ieodo and broaden international support and sympathy for Korea’s position,” Koh said on the seminar’s first day.

“This, I believe, is not merely in pursuit of the interests of one nation, but contributes to peace, stability, and cooperation among all who share the seas of East Asia.”

Ieodo is a submerged reef located 149 kilometers southwest of Korea’s southernmost island, Marado, and 287 kilometers east of China’s Sheshan Island. The reef lies in an area where the Korean and Chinese exclusive economic zone (EEZ) claims overlap, making it a longstanding point of contention in maritime boundary negotiations.

Although historical records have linked Ieodo to Korea, the issue is primarily tied to maritime jurisdiction under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which provides for EEZs extending up to 200 nautical miles from a coastal state’s baselines.

China faces similar maritime disputes with other neighboring countries, including Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam.

Chung Kee-yong, special representative for the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, delivered the keynote address, urging East Asian countries to turn their commitments to maritime security into practical mechanisms.

“East Asia does not suffer from a shortage of dialogue on maritime security. It suffers from a shortage of operational trust,” Chung said.

He described gray zone activities as efforts to gain strategic advantages without openly crossing the threshold of armed conflict, involving tools ranging from coast guard and paramilitary vessels to legal and information operations.

“If we overreact, we risk escalation,” Chung said. “If we underreact, we normalize coercion.”

He urged countries to focus on practical cooperation in areas of shared interest, including coast guard communication, search and rescue, marine pollution and maritime trade, rather than waiting to resolve sovereignty disputes.

“We do not need to solve every dispute before we reduce every risk. In fact, we must reduce risks precisely because disputes remain unresolved,” he said.

Chung also stressed the importance of regularly testing maritime hotlines and strengthening the rules-based maritime order.

“A hotline that is never tested is not a hotline,” he said. “Korea is a maritime trading state whose prosperity depends on open, safe, stable, and lawful seas … For us, the rules-based maritime order is not a slogan. It is a condition of national life.”

Gray zones and cognitive warfare

The first session, moderated by Keimyung University professor Lee Ji-yong, examined China's gray zone activities and their implications for maritime security in East Asia.

Neil Silva, a legal officer at the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines Law Center, examined China's activities in the South China Sea, focusing on maritime claims, legal issues and patterns of coercion.

He discussed China’s use of maritime, legal, cyber and political means, including positional lawfare and retaliatory lawmaking, as well as possible legal responses.

Ming-Shih Shen of Taiwan's Institute for National Defense and Security Research focused on China's cognitive warfare against Taiwan, discussing its use of propaganda, political messaging and disinformation to influence public perceptions.

He also reviewed the use of artificial intelligence-driven deepfake technology and Taiwan's responses, including fact checking and public verification, legal and regulatory measures, international cooperation, technical defenses and media literacy efforts.

Kim Jee-yong, an international relations professor at the Republic of Korea Naval Academy, explored China's gray zone activities in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, and Korea's possible response.

He focused on China’s coast guard activities, unilateral maritime installations and legal measures, while also examining the broader strategic environment involving China, Korea and the United States.

Panel discussions following the presentations with three discussants — Kunsan National University professor Youn Young-min, Min Young-hun of the Korea Maritime Institute and Republic of Korea Naval War College professor Kim Jeong-hyun — addressed the challenges of attributing actions involving maritime militias, applying international law and formulating calibrated responses to activities below the threshold of armed conflict.

Maritime disputes and international law

The second session, moderated by Inha University professor Kim Hyun-soo, on the next day focused on maritime disputes and the role of international law.

Nguyen Thi Lan Huong from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam presented Vietnam's strategy in the South China Sea, emphasizing peaceful dispute resolution, international law and the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

She discussed the country’s position on sovereignty and maritime rights and its use of international legal frameworks to address maritime disputes.

Renato Cruz De Castro, an international studies professor at De La Salle University, examined the July 12, 2016 UNCLOS arbitral award involving the Philippines and China, focusing on the Philippines’ efforts to strengthen its defenses and protect its maritime interests as China expands its presence in the South China Sea.

Park Young-kil of the Korea Maritime Institute examined legal issues surrounding maritime-boundary disputes amid the U.S.-China strategic competition. He analyzed China’s response to the Japan-Philippines maritime boundary delimitation and its implications for Korea-Japan negotiations.

The session’s panel discussion, featuring Bang Ho-sam of Chonnam National University, Lee Seo-hee of the Korea Maritime Institute and Doo Hyun-wook of the Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology, explored how international law could help manage maritime disputes and strengthen regional cooperation.

Securing SLOC

The last session, moderated by former Ambassador to Spain Park Hee-kwon, highlighted SLOC security and maritime resource competition in East Asia.

Kenji Shimoyama, an international law professor at the Japan Coast Guard Academy, examined the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea as vital SLOC chokepoints for Korea and Japan.

He assessed China's efforts to expand its maritime presence and diversify routes, including through the Belt and Road Initiative, urging both countries to strengthen responses to gray zone disruptions.

Ying-Yu Lin, an associate professor at Taiwan’s Tamkang University, analyzed China’s expanding maritime strategy, linking coercive operations around Taiwan to SLOC security.

He outlined military drills and coast guard operations around Taiwan, alongside coercive options including quarantines, boarding and interdiction, and Beijing’s efforts to diversify transport through Southeast Asian land corridors and Arctic shipping routes.

Ban Kil-Joo of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy proposed combining broader regional cooperation on maritime safety and environmental issues with closer coordination among allies and partners to protect vital shipping routes.

He emphasized no single country could ensure the security of East Asia’s sea lanes and called for better information-sharing, dialogue and practical cooperation.

The panel discussion — joined by former Oceans and Fisheries Minister Kim Sung-jin, Lee Jun-sung of the Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity and Jang Sung-il of the Northeast Asian History Foundation — discussed SLOC security and regional cooperation.

The seminar concluded with a roundtable moderated by Dankook University professor Kim Jin-ho, where the three session moderators discussed ways to develop practical cooperation on maritime security.