On November 7, 2016, Professor Hyun-Soo, KIM of Inha University in South Korea, discussed the current hot ocean issues of the international community, especially the East Asian countries' maritime affairs, the international law of the sea and the dispute over the South China Sea with teachers and students at Peking University.

Hyun-Soo, KIM

The lecture attracted a large number of students from different countries and regions such as Europe, America, Japan and Korea. The lecture was mainly divided into two parts. The first part focused on the topic of the Current Ocean Issues of the East Asian Countries. Professor Kim introduced the law of the sea and its applications, the definition of Baseline in the marine relations, the definition of the continental shelf, the criteria for delimitation and the legal status.

In the second part of the lecture, Professor Kim shared some of his personal views on the South China Sea issue. He first introducedConvention on the Law of the Sea, including the legal status of artificial reefs, the rights of coastal countries in the exclusive economic zone, the responsibilities of coastal States and other countries. Then he analyzed the complexity of the issues left over from history, including issues related to sovereignty of the territorial and border disputes, six military forces involving oil and gas resources and sea border strategy, limitations on the settlement of state conflicts and territorial disputes by the law of the sea and international law, and the history of maritime disputes among China, Southeast Asia and the southeast countries. He pointed out that to resolve the issue of the South China Sea, all countries involved need to overcome nationalism, strengthen bilateral diplomatic communication, establish new dispute settlement mechanism, understand each other and consciously implement relevant international law.

The lecture was draped in a heated discussion between Professor KIM and students of Peking University.

Professor Hyun-Soo, KIM:

Prof KIM is working at INHA University School of Law and is teaching International Law and Law of the Sea, and also, he is working at China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies (CIBOS), Wuhan University, China as a Guest Professor since 2016. Dr. KIM is a member of ABLOS (Advisory Board on the Law of the Sea), IHO (International Hydrographic Organization) since 2013. In addition, he plays a role as a President for the Hydrographic Society of Korea and a Vice-President for the Korea Institute of Maritime Law. Besides, he is a member of the National Naming Committee of Korea.

Prof. KIM was educated in Naval Academy (BSc.), Seoul National University (LLB & LLM) and also obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Wales College of Cardiff (U.K.). And thereafter, he has been serving as a legal and policy advisor for the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Safety and Security, Korea Coast Guard, and Korea Hydrographic and Oceanographic Agency.

He published several books and wrote a large number of articles mostly related to law of the sea and international law. Dr. KIM is serving as an editor of Journal of East Asia and International Law. He also works for the Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy (KIMS) as a senior researcher on the law of the sea.

His research is mainly focused on Maritime Boundaries, Sovereignty Issues over an Island, Legal Status of Maritime Features, Passage, and Legal Issues of the Arctic etc.