By Song Sang-ho
‘Seoul should enhance naval capabilities to keep China and Japan in check’
China’s renewed claim to jurisdiction over Ieodo, a submerged rock south of Jeju Island, has sparked concerns here over whether South Korea is sufficiently prepared to handle any contingencies threatening its maritime security.
In a diplomatic step, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry called in an official from the Chinese Embassy here on Monday, saying that South Korea would sternly deal with any moves to exercise jurisdiction over the rock.
The Chinese official reportedly repeated Beijing’s stance that Ieodo is within its exclusive economic zone ― 200 nautical miles, or 370 kilometers, from its coastline.
The rock in question is in the overlapping EEZ of the two countries. But South Korea says it is within its EEZ given that it is located 149 kilometers southwest of Korea’s southernmost island of Marado, while China’s nearest island of Yushandao is 287 kilometers away.
The jurisdictional claim served as a wake-up call to South Korea, which has focused primarily on deterring North Korea while paying less attention to possible maritime threats from neighboring states such as China and Japan.
Read the full story at The Korea Herald