South Korea and China will hold talks next week aimed at resolving the issue of their overlapping exclusive economic zones, Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.
The talks, led by Second Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin, will be held in Seoul next Tuesday, the ministry said in a release.
In July 2014, President Park Geun-hye and her Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, agreed to launch negotiations this year on the demarcation of their maritime boundaries amid tension over their overlapping EEZs.
Ieodo, a submerged reef controlled by Seoul, lies 149 kilometers southwest of Korea’s southernmost island of Marado and 247 kilometers northeast of the nearest Chinese island Tongdao. South Korea has scientific research facilities on Ieodo.
The two countries have regularly held working-level talks on the issue since 1996 but failed to reach an agreement due to conflicting claims.
South Korea wants the maritime border to be equidistant from the two countries’ coastlines, while China claims it should be drawn at a distance proportionate to the length of their respective coastlines. (Yonhap)
