1. The 1^st session of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names (UNGEGN) took place at the UN Headquarters, New York, from April 29 to May 3, 2019.

° A government delegation from the Republic of Korea, headed by Director-General for International Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, You Ki-jun, and composed of officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Geographic Information Institute, the Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency, and the Northeast Asian History Foundation, attended the session.

2. Since 1992, the government of the ROK has continued to raise issues regarding the usage of the name “East Sea” at each of the previous sessions of the UN Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNCSGN), the predecessor of the new UNGEGN. At this year’s UNGEGN session, the government dismissed Japan’s unilateral claim over the labeling of the East Sea and demonstrated the legitimacy of the name “East Sea.”

° The Japanese delegation delivered remarks to the effect that the name “Sea of Japan” was the only internationally established name.

° In response, the delegation of the ROK dismissed the Japanese side’s argument and presented the legitimacy of the usage of the name “East Sea” on the grounds that resolutions of relevant international organizations, including the UNCSGN and the International Hydrographic Organization, recommend that all the names be used concurrently if the related nations cannot agree on a common name; and that the use of the name “East Sea” has steadily increased in the international community.  

3. During the meeting, participants not only discussed agenda concerning the use of the name “East Sea,” but also engaged in active policy and academic discussions on individual countries’ policies for the standardization of geographical names and geographical naming systems.

° The delegation of the ROK presented its national report on the country’s establishment and management of geographical names; the progress in the work of the Korean Committee on Geographical Names; and the publication of a revised edition of the National Gazetteer of Marine Geographical Names, promoting the ROK’s achievements in the standardization of geographical names over the past two years.

° The ROK government took an active part in discussions on the relevant agenda by submitting six working papers on various issues pertaining to geographical names, such as “features beyond a single sovereignty,” as well as oral deliveries on those issues.

4. At this UNGEGN session, Professor Choo Sungjae of the Department of Geography at Kyung Hee University was elected to serve as Vice-Chair of the UNGEGN over the next two sessions, until 2023.

* unofficial translation