Jeju Peace Institute

PARK Yeong-gil(Director of International Marine Affairs and Territory Research Center, KMI)

In line with the thawing of the Arctic Ocean, the heightened interest in Arctic sea routes and the resources of the ocean are provoking an excessive competition among various countries determined to secure a larger portion of the ocean. Russia, Canada and Denmark, in particular, are seeking to expand their continental shelves to the North Pole and beyond.

The competition and military tension among the countries bordering the Arctic Ocean are expected to affect Korea, which is planning to participate in the economic activities (including sea routes, natural resources development, and offshore plant and port development) that have gradually opened up for various countries in the Arctic Ocean, in various ways. It is also anticipated to have huge implications for the controversial issue of continental shelves among Korea, China and Japan.

If a military conflict were to arise in the Arctic Ocean and sanctions on Russia were advocated by the United States and Canada, for example, Korea would be faced with difficult choices over whether to join the sanctions at a time when it is building strong bilateral relations with Russia in a number of areas.