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Some part of waste dump areas in the East Sea designated by the South Korean government overlaps with the continental shelf area and thus the exclusive economic zone of Japan. Unaware of this, South Korea has dumped waste in these areas for the past 15 years.
A few years ago, the Japanese government lodged a protest against this to Korea's Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries through the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, but the ministry delayed its response. But after closed-door meetings with the Foreign Ministry and other government agencies in November last year, the ministry concluded that the issue is serious and began working out what to do.
There are two waste dump areas designated in the East Sea where Korea has been dumping waste of various kinds produced on the mainland since 1988. In 1993, it formally declared these areas waste dump areas according to domestic laws.
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Miscellaneous waste, including styrofoam buoys, wood scraps, plastic bottles, and rope float in waters off Busan.
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A South Korean government source on Sunday said the two areas -- a 720 sq. km area, about 20 percent of the total waste dump area of 3,700 sq. km, 125 km east of Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province, and a 200 sq. km area, about 12 percent of the total waste dump area of 1,616 sq. km, 63 km southeast of Ulsan -- were designated beyond the demarcation line between the continental shelves of South Korea and Japan and beyond the borderline of the EEZs of the two countries.
The demarcation line between the continental shelves was established as a result of an agreement in 1974. The borderline of the EEZs of the two countries was delineated as a result of a new agreement on fisheries between Korea and Japan in 1998.
A South Korean government official said the continental shelf area and the EEZ ¡°are quasi-territorial waters of any country, as the country has exclusive jurisdiction over resource development, environmental preservation and fishery rights in those areas. To avoid diplomatic friction, we must immediately revoke the designation of the waste dump areas that infringe Japanese jurisdiction." He said the issue was ¡°tantamount to our government having dumped waste in Japanese territory. We should take responsibility according to international law if Japan proves that its marine environment has been contaminated."
But an official with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries said, "We've banned waste dump in the Japanese-controlled areas since 1998, so our government will not have to take responsibility for it. But it's true that we've infringed Japanese jurisdiction, so we'll work out ways to redesignate waste dump areas."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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