South Korea Boundary Disputes in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 303-329
Author(s):  
Vasco Becker-Weinberg

Abstract South Korea faces a complex situation of overlapping claims in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea, in addition to those in the East Sea (or Sea of Japan). The boundary disputes in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea raise two distinctive challenges. The first concerns the joint development agreement signed with Japan almost four decades ago. This agreement is at a stalemate and its initial term of fifty years is fast approaching. There are also reports that the dormancy of the agreement might be partly attributed to an alleged material breach by Japan. Therefore, South Korea should consider the available alternatives, particularly if Japan does not intend to renew the joint development agreement, but instead proceed with its termination. The second challenge concerns the inter-Korean relations and the legal relevance of the Northern Limit Line as a maritime boundary. Although there is no foreseeable timeline for North and South Korea to address the matter, mainly as there are no on-going negotiations, this will ultimately be a key aspect of a future settlement. This article examines these two challenges and attempts to put forward some tentative conclusions regarding the available options for South Korea in both situations.

2021 ◽  
pp. 104002
Author(s):  
Yuan Zhang ◽  
Lei Li ◽  
Jingling Ren ◽  
Huijun He ◽  
Ruifeng Zhang ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 779-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Sun ◽  
X. Y. Gu ◽  
Y. Y. Feng ◽  
S. F. Jin ◽  
W. S. Jiang ◽  
...  

Abstract. This paper describes the distribution of living coccolithophores (LCs) in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea in summer and winter, and its relationship with environmental factors by canonical correspondence analysis (CCA). We carried out a series of investigations on LCs distribution in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea in July and December 2011. 210 samples from different depths were collected from 44 stations in summer and 217 samples were collected from 45 stations in winter. Totally 20 taxa belonging to coccolithophyceae were identified using a polarized microscope at the 1000 × magnification. The dominant species of the two seasons were Gephyrocapsa oceanica, Emiliania huxleyi, Helicosphaera carteri, and Algirosphaera robusta. In summer the abundance of coccolithophore cells and coccoliths ranged 0–176.40 cells mL−1, and 0–2144.98 coccoliths mL−1, with the average values of 8.45 cells mL−1, and 265.42 coccoliths mL−1, respectively. And in winter the abundance of cells and coccoliths ranged 0–71.66 cells mL−1, and 0–4698.99 coccoliths mL−1, with the average values of 13.91 cells mL−1 and 872.56 coccoliths mL−1, respectively. In summer, the LCs in surface layer were mainly observed on the coastal belt and southern part of the survey area. In winter, the LCs in surface layer had high value in the continental shelf area of section P. The comparison among section A, section F, section P and section E indicated lower species diversity and less abundance in the Yellow Sea than those in the East China Sea in both seasons. Temperature and the nitrate concentration may be the major environmental factors controlling the distribution and species composition of LCs in the studying area based on CCA. Abbreviations: LCs: Living Coccolithophores; CCA: canonical correspondence analysis; DCM: Deep Chlorophyll Maximum


Author(s):  
Wenbin Zhu ◽  
Xinwei Du ◽  
Zhiqiang Han ◽  
Hanxiang Xu

In order to confirm the genetic relationship between the Yellow Sea and East China Sea populations of mantis shrimps Oratosquilla oratoria, fragments of mitochondrial DNA COI gene samples were analysed. A total of 212 individuals from nine localities in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea were collected and 108 haplotypes were detected. Neighbour-joining analysis revealed a complete genetic break between the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, which was consistent with the previous mtDNA 16S rRNA. Pleistocene isolation and the current physical barrier were responsible for the complete genetic break between the East China Sea and Yellow Sea. Furthermore, local adaptation in the COI gene may also be contributed to by the genetic differentiation between the populations of the Yellow Sea and East China. The different Ka/Ks ratios between the two clades may reflect different selection pressures and local adaptation on the fragment of COI gene.


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