KIOST to Host "Global Climate Crisis and the Role of International Law" Academic Conference

Deriving Legal and Policy Implications for Climate Change Response at Home and Abroad

The Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (President Lee Heeseung, KIOST) will host the "Global Climate Crisis and the Role of International Law Academic Conference" at the Westin Chosun Busan Hotel from September 25 to 26, 2025.

This academic conference is organized under the theme "Decisions of International Judicial Bodies on Climate Change and Their Legal and Policy Implications." The event aims to analyze decisions by international judicial bodies regarding climate change and to draw implications for Korea's climate change laws and policies.

The international judicial bodies include the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR).

The opening ceremony on the first day will be attended by Lee Heeseung, President of KIOST, Keun Kwan Lee, Professor at Seoul National University School of Law and member of the United Nations International Law Commission, as well as approximately 60 experts in related fields such as climate change law, maritime law, environmental law, and human rights law.

Following the opening ceremony, there will be presentations and discussions on the advisory opinion of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) regarding climate change and international law, as well as expert presentations and discussions on the climate change-related decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

On the second day, there will be presentations on the advisory opinion of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) regarding the climate emergency and human rights, and on the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding state obligations on climate change. The comprehensive discussion session that follows will address the decisions of international judicial bodies on climate change and their policy implications.

The entire event, including the opening ceremony, will be broadcast live in real time through the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology's YouTube channel.

Lee Heeseung, President of KIOST, stated, "As international issues surrounding the oceans become increasingly diverse, it is more important than ever to strengthen our capacity to respond through international law. Through this event, we will strive to work more closely with the international community to help create a sustainable ocean."