East China Sea

The South Korea-Japan Joint Development Zone (JDZ) in the East China Sea harbours potential and concerns for both South Korea and Japan, and the broader Northeast Asian region.

About the East China Sea:

• The East China Sea is a marginal sea in the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China.
• It is surrounded by the Ryukyu Islands (east); Kyushu (north); Cheju Island (northwest); South China Sea (southwest) and China (west).
• It is also known as (Wade-Giles) Tung Hai or (Pinyin) Dong Hai in China.
• The East China Sea and the South China Sea together form the China Sea.

[ref-IILSS]

About the South Korea-Japan JDZ:

• The South Korea-Japan JDZ is a region in the East China Sea which has been jointly administered by Japan and South Korea after a treaty signed in 1974.
  • The treaty fosters cooperation between South Korea and Japan in the maritime domain to mitigate tensions and promote joint economic development in the region. 
• It has substantial reserves of hydrocarbons, particularly oil, with the agreement allowing both countries to jointly explore and exploit resources in a defined area. 
• Some region of JDZ has yet not been explored, giving the room to China to intervene and cooperate with the Japan to develop similar oil reserves bordering the JDZ by excluding the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

Ref: Source