As the importance of ocean has risen, competitions on ocean territories throughout the international society increase rapidly. Ocean involves unlimited potential regarding fishery and petroleum resources. In the process of securing each countries' man...
As the importance of ocean has risen, competitions on ocean territories throughout the international society increase rapidly. Ocean involves unlimited potential regarding fishery and petroleum resources. In the process of securing each countries' management over wider ocean territory, confrontation and conflicts have been provoked severely since the adoption of UNCLOS in 1982.
Particularly, several islands disputes and conflicts on maritime boundaries around Korea, China and Japan have been threatening the security of North East Asia region.
As a way of arbitration and settlement, the role of UNCLOS regime have been expected gradually. Especially, recent decision of ITLOS on Myanmar-Bangladesh maritime boundary delimitation case highlights the function of UNCLOS as an international ocean regime.
In this regard, this study reviews the possibility of adoption of UNCLOS on North East Asia ocean conflicts. The scope of this study is Korea, China and Japan, particularly seas embracing Korea peninsula.
The purpose of this study is first, to see the possibility of direct application of UNCLOS regime to North East Asia region, second, to review the functions of each regional ocean regimes including fisheries and sea shelf agreements, third, to find the influence and applicability of international tribunals such as ICJ and ITLOS, as a solution of North East Asia ocean conflicts focusing on some of their cases, finally to seek the ways of regional cooperation on the sea of North East Asia.
UNCLOS has been evaluated as one of the most successful international regime and has been acting its role in North East Asia. However, due to the character of enclosed-sea, universal application of UNCLOS on North East Asia region has limits. Also, the regional ocean regimes established to surmount the limits of UNCLOS do not have much actual effect.
Eventually, the formation of multilateral regional regime led by unaffected interaction between each participants in the process of socialization through the international order is needed. Especially, the adoption of New Regionalism to North East Asia ocean regime and cooperation from the bottom should be considered.