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| ▲ This photo, provided by the South Korean Representative to the United Nations, shows Rhee Zha-hyoung (L), head of the South Korean foreign ministry's international law department, after being elected as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for 2023-2032 at the 33rd Meeting of States Parties to United Nations Convention on Law of Sea at U.N. Headquarters in New York on June 14, 2023. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) sea tribunal-S Korean judge
(LEAD) S. Korean official elected as judge of U.N. sea tribunal for 3rd straight term
(ATTN: ADDS comments from Rhee in last 5 paras; CHANGES dateline; RECASTS lead para)
SEOUL/NEW YORK, June 15 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean official has been elected to serve as a member of the United Nations sea tribunal, marking Seoul's third consecutive time in winning a seat in the organization.
Rhee Zha-hyoung, director-general for international legal affairs at Seoul's foreign ministry, was voted as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2023-2032 term, according to South Korea's permanent mission to the U.N., gaining support from 144 among 164 voting member states.
Six other members were elected as judges for the tribunal, including Japan's Hidehisa Horinouchi.
ITLOS deals with global maritime issues, including sea border disputes among member states, under the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. South Korea has successfully maintained a spot at the tribunal since 1996.
Seoul's foreign ministry welcomed the election, saying, "Rhee's win will not only upgrade South Korea's status in the field of maritime law but also expand our role."
In a phone interview with Yonhap News Agency, Rhee vowed to put his utmost efforts not only within the court but in promoting the activities of ITLOS based on his field experience in diplomacy.
"Maritime law takes up an important place in international order and ITLOS plays a huge role in maintaining and developing such order," he said. "I hope South Korea's role and contribution in the process of establishing the norm continues."
Rhee also attributed his win to the "outstanding activities" of the preceding South Korean judges and Seoul's continuous support.
Noting that only 32 cases have been submitted to ITLOS so far, he pledged to raise awareness and encourage countries involved in maritime disputes to file their cases to the tribunal.
Disputes among South Korea, Japan and China over their maritime boundaries of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) remain unsettled.
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