South Korea and Japan have opposing opinions when it comes to a common name to be internationally used for the sea between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese archipelago. Considering that the two countries are using completely different names and that it is unreasonable to adopt only one of such names, specifically the name "Sea of Japan" in this case, South Korea advocates the concurrent use of both names the "East Sea" and the "Sea of Japan." However, Japan finds it unacceptable to take on any other name except the Sea of Japan, insisting that it has already been internationally established.
Taking into account the geographical traits of the waters, the international norms for establishing geographical names and the historical legitimacy the name East Sea holds, South Korea considers it proper to use both names used by each country while the two countries remain in disagreement on a common name for the sea they share.
We hopes the name East Sea will be widely used in maps in countries all around the world. Since South Korea and Japan are unable to reach an agreement on the naming issue, South Korea¡¯s view is that international norms should be followed, thereby using both the East Sea and the Sea of Japan concurrently.