1. Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) Paik Jin-hyun has been elected as President of the Tribunal for a three-year term (2017-2020) on October 2, Hamburg time.

o President of the Tribunal Paik Jin-hyun began to serve as the Tribunal’s judge after being elected in a by-election (for the term starting in March 2009 and ending in September 2014) held after Judge Park Choon-ho passed away in March 2009. In June 2014, he was re-elected as the Tribunal’s judge for a nine-year term (October 2014 – October 2023).

2. The government of the Republic of Korea has exerted various diplomatic efforts to have Korean judges at the Tribunal since its creation in 1996. It is the first time that a Korean has been elected as the Tribunal’s President, and this is seen as the result of high regard for President Paik’s academic achievements and expertise, as well as the acknowledgement of the efforts of the ROK government as a major maritime power to contribute to the development of maritime law.

3. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, which is one of the world’s three major international courts, along with the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, is a judicial organization to resolve disputes concerning maritime boundary delimitation, fishery, marine resources development and the marine environment. It is especially very important for the ROK, a major maritime country and fishing country.

o President of the Tribunal Paik is expected to contribute to resolving maritime disputes peacefully and developing the field of maritime law. The ROK government, as a responsible member of the international community, will continue to actively participate in the process of establishing international maritime regulations and implementing them in a way that meets the ROK’s national interests.


* unofficial translation