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South Korea and Japan will once again wrangle over the name for the body of water that divides them at an international conference. The venue will be the International Hydrographic Organization conference that opens in Monaco on May 7, five years after the last. Both countries have already started their diplomatic campaigns over the name of what Korea calls the ¡°East Sea¡±, and Japan has nominated a maritime affairs specialist as its candidate for the IHO Board of Directors.
¡ß Becalmed
In the August 2002 IHO conference, Korea insisted on using both "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan¡±, based on a 1974 IHO resolution saying that if two countries share a sea, they can both use the name of their choice. The IHO reversed its previous position on using the single appellation ¡°Sea of Japan.¡± In the fourth edition of "Limits of Oceans and Seas", the IHO deleted ¡°Sea of Japan¡± and put the matter up for a vote. But a month later, it suspended the vote without further explanation. South Korean government officials said this was because Japan used tremendous diplomatic pressure involving the entire Cabinet. Afterwards, the IHO asked South Korea and Japan to report a decision after bilateral consultations. The two countries predictably stuck to their guns: Seoul wants both names used and Tokyo only ¡°Sea of Japan.¡±
¡ß Tussles expected
The bone of contention at the upcoming IHO conference will again be the fourth revised edition of "Limits of Oceans and Seas.¡± Lee Ki-suk, a professor emeritus of geography at Seoul National University, who is going to attend the IHO conference, said, "In light of the sensitivity to everybody, the IHO Board of Directors is unlikely to decide on the issue and will probably let member countries make a decision at the conference." The Korean government has dispatched officials to Monaco, where the IHO is headquartered, to woo support from member countries.
An official with Korea¡¯s National Oceanographic Research Institute said, "We are engaged in a total war, because we will have to wait another five years if we lose this chance." According to a South Korean government official, Japan also seems to be using all diplomatic means so that no final decision will be made on deleting the single appellation ¡°Sea of Japan.¡±
¡ß Japan attempts to win seat on IHO board
Japan is attempting to win a seat on the IHO Board of Directors. It has nominated Hideo Nishida, the former director-general of the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of the Japan Coast Guard. Nishida competes with incumbent Greek and Chilean members who seek re-election, and with candidates from Norway, Australia and Nigeria. A senior NORI official said, "Candidate Nishida is a heavyweight. If he was elected, we¡¯d have great difficulty pushing for the appellation ¡®East Sea.¡¯"
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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