KIOST Hosts Opening Ceremony of the 7th International Seabed Authority Contractors Meeting

Exploring Sustainable Development Strategies for Deep-Sea Mineral Resources

The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST) held the opening ceremony for the '7th International Seabed Authority (ISA) Contractors Meeting' at the Lavalse Hotel in Busan on September 30.

Opening ceremony of the 7th International Seabed Authority (ISA) Contracting Parties Meeting. Donghyung Kang, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries (center), Aquila Tawake, Head of Regulatory Affairs Team at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Secretariat (first from left in the front row), Heeseung Lee, President of KIOST (third from left in the front row).

At the opening ceremony, around 50 domestic and international experts attended, including Kang Dohyung, Minister of Oceans and Fisheries; Lee Heeseung, President of KIOST; and Akuila Tawake, Regulations Management Team Leader at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Secretariat.

This international conference, which will continue for three days until October 2 starting with the opening ceremony, was organized to seek sustainable development of deep-sea mineral resources among the 13 countries (including Korea, China, Japan, Germany, and Canada) and contractors that have signed deep-sea mineral exploration contracts with the International Seabed Authority (ISA).

The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is an international organization that supervises and manages activities in the deep seabed areas of international waters (as of September 2024, it has 168 member states; Korea joined in January 1996 by ratifying the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea).

So far, Korea has secured exclusive deep-sea mineral exploration blocks in a total of five regions, including exploration blocks for the three major marine minerals (manganese nodules, seafloor massive sulfides, and cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts) under the jurisdiction of the ISA in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, utilizing KIOST's comprehensive ocean research vessel 'Isabu' (5,894 tons, launched in November 2016).

In addition, Ju Sejong, Principal Researcher at the KIOST Marine Resources and Environment Research Division, has been serving as an expert in the environmental research field since being elected as a member of the ISA Legal and Technical Commission in 2017.

The ISA Legal and Technical Commission is responsible for establishing international norms and rules related to deep-sea resource exploration and development.

Lee Heeseung, President of KIOST, stated, "It is more important than ever to explore the deep sea, which is a common heritage of humankind, while protecting the marine environment in areas beyond national jurisdiction such as the high seas and the deep seabed. Through this event, Korea will join the international community in creating a sustainable ocean and, at the same time, strengthen our scientific research capabilities for deep-sea exploration and development."