SEOUL, Japan cannot unilaterally develop the continental shelf in the East China Sea without South Korea’s consent even if the bilateral agreement on the joint development expires, a foreign ministry official in Seoul said Wednesday.

The official’s comment came as the Korea-Japan Continental Shelf Agreement is due to terminate in June 2028 after a 50-year term of validity, unless one of the two sides notifies the other of an intention to extend it.

South Korea and Japan signed the agreement to pursue the joint exploration and development of the “Block 7” in the continental shelf in the East China Sea, which is believed to hold huge amounts of oil, gas and other minerals in reserves.

The issue drew fresh attention after Japanese Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa hinted during a parliamentary session last week at the possibility of Tokyo initiating a renegotiation with Seoul when the agreement expires.

Japan has been lukewarm about moving forward with the joint development, as a change in the international ma
ritime law on defining the boundaries became more favorable for Japan to include almost all of the joint development area as part of its exclusive economic zone.

“Even if the agreement is terminated, the rights to resource development in waters where both countries’ claims to the continental shelf overlap cannot be monopolized, and the development cannot be unilaterally undertaken without the consent of the other party under the current international law,” the ministry official said.

The official said the government is communicating with Tokyo at various levels and also discussions are ongoing among relevant government agencies to prepare for various scenarios.

“We understand that Japan’s recent mention of (a possible) renegotiation of the agreement was a response made in principle to a lawmaker’s question,” the official added.

Some observers have raised concern that the continental shelf could become a fresh source of dispute between South Korea and Japan, calling for an early start of talks before the a
greement expires.

Source: Yonhap News Agency