1. The 2019 International Conference on the Law of the Sea was held at the Lotte Hotel, Seoul, on August 20-21, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (ROK) in cooperation with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and the Korean Society of International Law.

○ The Conference brought together 160 scholars, government officials and others related to international justice including President Paik Jin-hyun of the ITLOS, Mr. Kang Jeong-sik, Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs, Secretary-General of the Hague Academy of International Law Jean-Marc Thouvenin.

2. In his welcoming remarks, Deputy Minister Kang took note of the progressive roles of ITLOS established over the past two decades in interpreting and applying the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also known as the Constitution for the Oceans. He also expressed his hopes that ITLOS would play a constructive role in addressing new challenges such as deep seabed mining and marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). 

○ As maintaining a rules-based maritime order is crucial to the ROK given its geopolitical location as a peninsula surrounded by seas, Deputy Minister Kang added that the government of the ROK will cooperate closely with ITLOS to promote a peaceful maritime order and the rule of law in the international community.

3. In his keynote speech, ITLOS President Paik noted that ITLOS is one of the four means for dispute settlement stipulated in the UNCLOS, and explained that two landmark cases dealt with by ITLOS this year are good examples that demonstrate its institutional development in recent years and its effective settlement of disputes pursuant to the Convention.

○ President Paik went on to present on the ITLOS Seabed Disputes Chamber which has compulsory jurisdiction for deep seabed disputes, and highlighted that ITLOS, with its expertise in the interpretation and application of the UNCLOS, which is currently under negotiation, will also contribute to the effective and swift settlement of disputes related to the BBNJ.

4. Under the theme “The New Developments in the Law of the Sea and the Role of ITLOS,” participants held in-depth discussions on current issues and tasks in the field of the law of the sea including “Climate Change and the Law of the Sea (Session 1),” “Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (Session 2),” “Deep Seabed Mining (Session 3),” “Issues on the Arctic Ocean (Session 4)” and “Dispute Settlement and the ITLOS (Session 5)” at the Conference.

5. The Conference, hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the ROK in cooperation with the ITLOS, following the 2018 International Conference on the Law of the Sea, is expected to underscore the ROK government’s willingness to contribute to the process of establishing norms related to international law of the sea and to serve as a basis for continuing and strengthening academic exchanges and the network between the ROK and ITLOS in the future.