By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), in collaboration with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and the Korean Society of International Law, hosted the Ninth International Conference on the Law of the Sea in Seoul from November 19 to 20, under the theme “30 Years of UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea): Then, Now, and the Future.”

At the opening ceremony of this year’s conference, welcoming remarks was delivered by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Insun, followed by opening remarks by President of the Korean Society of International Law Kim Min-seo and a keynote address by ITLOS President Tomas Heidar.

Often referred to as the “constitution for the oceans,” UNCLOS was adopted in 1982 and entered into force in 1994 as a comprehensive legal framework for the law of the ocean. Since its accession in 1996, Korea has actively participated in the efforts of the international community to advance the law of the sea regime. As part of these efforts, MOFA has held the International Conference on the Law of the Sea annually since 2016.

The participants of this year’s conference reviewed the evolution of the law of the sea over the past three decades since the entry into force of UNCLOS and engage in in-depth discussions on the future direction for the law of the sea.

The conference was broadcast live via the official website (www.icls.or.kr) and the YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/lawofthesea1982) of the International Conference on the Law of the Sea.