S. Korea to strengthen control over territorial baseline islands

The South Korean government plans to build permanent structures such as observation posts on 23 key islands that serve as the base points for the country`s territorial waters. The move will add 119 square kilometers, or 14 times the size of Yeouido, an islet on the Han River, of waters to Korea`s territorial waters.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said so in an annual policy report to the president. The government installed 23 signposts marking them as territorial base points. However, the signpost at the Dalgap Bay has gone missing, while the words on those on four islands, including Hongdo and Habaekdo in South Jeolla Province, have been found erased.

Therefore, the ministry plans to newly install facilities such as identification lights, water temperature and salinity observation devices and global positioning system devices. The new installations will start with five islands off the west coast, including Gageo, Hong, Sogukheul and Goseo, and be completed on all islands by 2017.

The ministry also reported a plan to release ganchi, or a sea lion species at the country`s easternmost islets of Dokdo. Gangchis around the islets went extinct due to Japan`s overfishing after Japan`s Shimane Prefecture included the islets to its jurisdiction.