Socotra rock
| Socotra rock | |
|---|---|
| Geographical location | 32 ° 7 '22.63 "N, 125 ° 10' 56.81" O |
| Chinese name | |
| Abbreviation | 苏 岩礁 |
| Long characters | 蘇 岩礁 |
| Pinyin | Sūyán jiāo |
| Korean name | |
| Hangeul | 이어도 / 파랑도 |
| Hanja | 離 於 島 / 波浪 島 |
| Revised Romanization | Ieodo / Parangdo |
| McCune-Reischauer | Iŏdo / P'arangdo |
Location of the rock in relation to the Air Defense Identification Zones of Japan, China (expanded to the east) and South Korea (expansion to the south planned)
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The Socotra Rock is a submarine reef in the East China Sea , to which both South Korea and the People's Republic of China make territorial claims. Since 1995 the rock has been administered by South Korea, which has built a research station on it.
The reef, which is 4.6 meters below sea level at low tide, takes its English name from the ship that discovered it in 1900. The reef also has Chinese and Korean names; the English name can be used to avoid taking a position in the Sino-Korean conflict.
Geography and topography
Location of the rock
The rock is located about 149 km southwest of Marado , the southernmost island of South Korea and about 245 km northeast of the Haijiao Island in the People's Republic of China. It is about 275 km northwest of the Japanese island of Torishima .
The top of the reef is about 4.6 meters deep. This means that the rock is almost always below the surface of the water. However, it can break through in strong waves (e.g. in a storm ).
Surroundings of the rock
A research station has been anchored above the rock by the Korean Marine Research and Development Institute in South Korea since 2001. This has a helicopter landing pad for supply . The research station is 41 meters deep and 700 meters south of the reef tip.
History and Claims
Myths and Facts
In a Korean legend it is said that there is a mythical land in which the souls of sailors reside who were lost in the sea . This would mean Ieodo (in Korea also Parangdo called). The South Korean government has drawn a direct link between this mythical land and the Socotra rock. The historical claim of South Korea is based on this record.
In the Chinese historical record Shan Hai Jing , which dates back to around 100 BC. An island called Su-Fels ( Chinese 蘇 岩 / 苏 岩 , Pinyin Sūyán ) is mentioned. The historical claim of the People's Republic of China is based on this record.
The first demonstrable discovery of the rock was in 1900 by a British merchant ship called the Socotra . In order not to take a position in the conflict, this name is sometimes used to designate the reef.
In 1937 at the latest, Japan took over administrative sovereignty over the reef as part of its expansion before the Second World War .
Current situation
After the Second World War, the Allies withdrew the administrative sovereignty over its colonial areas and thus also over the reef. Since no further information was given about the affiliation of the rock, South Korea and also the People's Republic of China raised territorial claims over time due to the above-mentioned historical affiliation.
However, according to the Convention on the Law of the Sea, no territorial claim and therefore no extension of the Exclusive Economic Zone can be made or justified on an almost permanently inundated reef . Nevertheless, especially South Korea and the People's Republic of China are trying to make this reef, which is located in the overlapping Exclusive Economic Zone of both countries, their territory.
This is evident from the South Korean side by including the reef in the Syngman-Rhee Line proclaimed in 1952 and in the Underwater Resource Processing Act of 1970. Since 2003, South Korea has been operating a research station above the reef. Since then, it can be said that despite some reconnaissance flights from the People's Republic of China, the administration is de facto with South Korea. The People's Republic of China considers this state of affairs to be unacceptable, relying on the continental shelf principle , since the reef lies on a continental shelf coming from mainland China .
On November 23, 2013, the People's Republic of China declared an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea , including disputed areas such as Socotra Rock and Senkaku Islands . Every overflight must now be registered in China. The South Korean government then announced that it would review its own ADIZ and extend it to the Socotra Rock.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c China Chafes at Korean Observatory on Reef Island (English) , Chosun Ilbo . September 14, 2006. Archived from the original on November 2, 2006 Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ↑ 파랑도 . In: Naver Encyclopedia . Archived from the original on May 27, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 16, 2006.
- ↑ a b 국제 법적인 고찰 . In: Ieodo Research Station website . Archived from the original on July 6, 2006. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved September 22, 2006.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Rep. Of Korea . In: TCODE meeting protocol . Archived from the original on October 5, 2007. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 31, 2008.
- ↑ Island dispute goes up in the air ( Memento from November 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (Tagesschau link with map)
- ↑ (3rd LD) China rejects S. Korea's demand over air defense zone. In: Yonhap. November 28, 2013, accessed November 28, 2013 .
Web links
- Kim Young-jin: Why Ieodo matters. In: The Korea Times . September 18, 2012, accessed March 19, 2017 .