Jeonnam Province Deliberates Response to Jurisdiction Dispute Over Shared Waters Between Wando and Jeju Island

Council Convened to Address Maritime Boundary Dispute
Discussion on Securing Evidence to Support Effective Control

Jeonnam Provincial Government Office Building View

As Jeonnam Wando and Jeju Island are in conflict over maritime jurisdiction issues, Jeollanam-do is currently deliberating on countermeasures.

On the 5th, Jeollanam-do held a meeting of the Maritime Boundary Jurisdiction Dispute Response Council at the provincial government office to seek solutions.

Currently, Jeju Island has filed a constitutional complaint with the Constitutional Court, claiming that the permit granted by Jeonnam (Wando-gun) for the installation of a wind measurement device near Sasudo infringed upon its jurisdiction over the public waters.

The disputed waters near Sasudo, for which the jurisdictional dispute has been filed, are located between Soan-myeon in Wando and Chuja-myeon in Jeju.

Due to its geographical and fisheries characteristics, this area is closely related to the fishing activities of Wando-gun and is an important hub for fisheries and maritime transportation.

To establish a response strategy against Jeju Island's constitutional complaint and to specify legal and administrative litigation strategies, Jeollanam-do formed a response council composed of both public and private sector representatives in December last year.

During the council meeting, the participants discussed in depth: ▲the background of the constitutional complaint over jurisdiction, ▲public relations strategies to highlight the unfairness of the complaint, ▲discovering facts and survey data to support effective control, and ▲legal and administrative response strategies.

The attending members also analyzed previous Constitutional Court rulings on maritime boundary disputes between local governments. In particular, they agreed that securing evidence of effective control, including records of residents' activities in the disputed waters from past to present, is the highest priority.

Park Geunsik, Director of Shipping and Ports at Jeollanam-do, said, "We will continue to uncover evidence proving effective control over the disputed waters and plan to hold regular quarterly meetings to protect residents' fishing rights."