Prof. Dr. Kim Huyn Jae, Director of the Centre for Vietnamese Studies, said the event aims to provide participants with accurate and objective information on the disputes and the perspectives of Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations on the settlement of the conflict.
Prof Kim, who is also Secretary General of the Association of People Loving Vietnam in the Republic of Korea (VESAMO), said the workshop developed a deeper understanding of the issue amongst Korean scholars, researchers and general public and helped work out solutions to the conflict, contributing to maintaining peace and marine security in the East Sea, and the world at large.
Speakers made an in-depth analysis of the root causes of the recent East Sea disputes between China and several Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam and the Philippines.
They made clear the absurdity of China’s “nine-dotted line” claim, legal and historical evidence asserting Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos, as well as its stance regarding the settlement of the disputes in line with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
They also spoke of the responsibility of the international community and related countries in maintaining peace and security in the East Sea.
Themed “Policy Signs and Disputes on the Islands in South East Asia”, the workshop brought together experts, scholars and students from Yongsan University, the Institute of Oceanography, the Center for Vietnamese Studies and VESAMO.
This was the first workshop of its kind organised in the South and the second in the Republic of Korea.
