China Denies Korean Claim on Island

On September 14, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China stated it does not consent to Korea’s possession of Ieo Island, which is an island located in southwest of Jeju Island.

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Qin Gang expressed this at a regular briefing and said, “Su Yan Jiao” is a reef located in the northern East China Sea, and nothing has been done about making territorial definition with Korea.”

Qin also mentioned that Su Yan Jiao is in the area where the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of both countries overlaps. He also said, “Korea’s unilateral behavior in this region does not have any legal force.” He introduced the fact that Korean government constructed a research complex for ocean science in Ieo Island a few years ago, saying, “We talked about the problem with the Korean government twice.”