By Kang Hyun-kyung
A longtime observer of public policy proposed Thursday that Seoul rewrite its maritime strategy to catch up with other marine powers in the global race for underwater resources.
Park Eung-kyuk, president of the state-run Korea Institute of Public Administration, suggested several options that the government can consider to bolster its maritime sovereignty and security.
“The government could consider setting up a ministry overseeing fishery stocks and managing underwater resources,” he said.
“It could also take advantage of Korea’s world-class ship-building industry as it can build aircraft carriers and advanced seaborne merchant fleets to meet growing demand for maritime security and to protect sea lanes through which trade goods are imported or exported.”
Park quoted former U.S. President John F. Kennedy to support his view that Korea needs a preemptive maritime strategy.
“Knowledge of the oceans is more than a matter of curiosity. Our very survival may hinge upon it,” Kennedy said.
Predicting the forthcoming era of oceans, Park observed that governments’ quest for maritime resources appeared to be the key driver to the flaring territorial disputes over islands in Asia.
“As natural resources on land are being depleted, several governments have looked to sea resources as alternatives and taken necessary measures. Competition among them has led to maritime conflicts,” he said.
He made the remarks amid escalating maritime disputes in Northeast Asia.
Tensions between China and Japan showed no signs of abating as the two sides locked horns over the Senkaku or Daioyu Islands in the East China Sea, which reportedly may have abundant oil and gas resources.
The diplomatic spat between the two countries set nationalism ablaze with a negative impact on trade and tourism.
Japan’s diplomatic row with Russia over the Kuril Islands has emerged as a fresh diplomatic challenge after former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev made a visit to the islands in November 2010 to solidify Russia’s sovereignty over the territory. Medvedev was the first Russian leader to visit the disputed islands. The seabed surrounding the Kurils are known to have abundant natural gas, oil and other resources.
Korea remains wary of its two neighbors’ claims on the nation’s easternmost islets of Dokdo and Ieodo, a submerged rock, 140 kilometers southwest from the southernmost Korean island of Marado near Jeju Island.
Park said a maritime buildup will be helpful in strengthening Korea’s sovereignty over the territory.
Park noted the country may need to shift the focus from the current maritime strategy aimed at thwarting Pyongyang’s provocations in the waters off the peninsula to protect seaborne trade in the distant oceans.
His remarks indicated that a possible maritime security vacuum in major sea routes in the future could pose a fresh challenge to the nation as the economy is heavily reliant on trade.
“I believe at some point in the future, the United States will find it challenging to play the role as global security guarantor as its economy shows signs of declining,” he said.
“I don’t think that the day will come shortly. But the U.S. government would realize at some point that financing the current massive maritime forces to protect seaborne trade may be unfeasible.”
He agreed Korea will face a fresh challenge featuring a possible security vacuum or the shift in maritime security on major global sea routes. “We need to be prepared for this,” he said.
His remarks came amid a top-notch British think tank warning of the risk of a vacuum in the future in a recently released report, “Oil Security Problem Has Moved to Asia.”
In the report, Chatham House warned of oil security as a fresh challenge facing countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including Korea.
It pointed out that these countries will face the greatest risk of disruption to oil supplies as they heavily depend on the Middle East.
It said the United States, the ultimate military guarantor of shipping lanes, imports less oil from the Middle East year after year, whereas demand has continued to grow.
According to U.S. Energy Information Administration data released in September 2011, the United States imports 25 percent of its crude oil from the Middle East. A recent study projects that the United States won’t import crude oil from the region after 2035.
Unlike the United States, Korea imports 80 percent or more of its oil from the region.
Washington’s reduced dependency on the Middle Eastern oil and Korea and other Asian economies’ greater reliance on it could create a heightened oil security problem.
The Chatham House report raised a question: How far will the United States go to defend sea lanes that mainly benefit Asian countries which import oil from the Middle East?
The U.S. government spends $50 billion a year on protecting oil shipments, according to Michael O’Hanlon, a national security expert at the Brookings Institution.
“While China is projecting its naval power further, notably through its participation in anti-piracy efforts near Somalia, its military expenditure and actual capacity for this task remain low,” the report said.
“At present, no other major power can take on the role. The ability and willingness of the United States to protect international sea lanes is of benefit to all exporters and importers who depend on the international oil trade.”
The Chatham House report implies that if the U.S. government stops serving as a military guarantor at some point in the future, Asian governments will need to protect their own seaborne trade either through a regional partnership or other form of cooperation.