[News Terms] 'International Maritime Organization' Condemns North Korea's Missile Launch

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a specialized agency under the United Nations that establishes international conventions concerning the safety and security of all ships passing through international waters, as well as the prevention of marine pollution caused by ship operations, and oversees their implementation.

It was established under the Convention on the International Maritime Organization (CIMO), adopted in March 1948 in Geneva, Switzerland, and entering into force in March 1958. The organization began its activities in January 1959 as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) and was renamed the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in May 1982.

Container ship in operation. [Photo by Asia Economy DB]

Its headquarters are located in London, United Kingdom. South Korea joined as a full member in April 1962, and North Korea joined in 1986. There are 168 full member states and 3 associate members. The organization is composed of the Assembly, the Council, five committees, nine sub-committees, and the Secretariat. The Assembly meets every two years in odd-numbered years, and the Council, consisting of 40 member states with two-year terms, meets twice a year. Council members are divided into Groups A, B, and C based on their impact on international maritime transport and trade. Group A plays a key role in establishing international maritime standards and approving the IMO budget, and includes 10 countries: South Korea, the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, Greece, Italy, Norway, and Panama.

The IMO Secretary-General is regarded as the "President of the Sea" due to his significant influence. In June 2015, Lim Ki-taek, then President of Busan Port Authority, was elected as the IMO Secretary-General and took office in 2016 as the first Korean to hold the position. Secretary-General Lim was re-elected at the 2018 Assembly and is serving his term until the end of this year through one reappointment.

On the 31st (local time), the IMO adopted a resolution condemning North Korea's missile launches. The resolution criticized North Korea's ballistic missile launches as violations of United Nations Security Council resolutions and condemned the failure to provide appropriate prior notification, which seriously endangered the safety of seafarers and international shipping. It also urged the cessation of illegal and unnotified ballistic missile launches crossing international shipping routes. According to the IMO Assembly resolution, the World-Wide Navigational Warning Service (WWNWS), which is operated under IMO, requires notification to the coordinating authority of the relevant area at least five days in advance in cases of missile or satellite launches and maritime exercises.