Socotra Rock, also known asIeodo (Korean: 이어도),Parangdo (파랑도), orSuyan Islet (simplified Chinese:苏岩礁;traditional Chinese:蘇巖礁;pinyin:Sūyán Jiāo), is asubmerged rock 4.6 metres (15 ft) below sea level (at low tide) located in theYellow Sea.International maritime law stipulates that a submerged rock outside of a country's territorial sea (generally 12 nautical miles) cannot be claimed as territory by any country.[2] However, the rock is the subject of a maritime dispute betweenChina andSouth Korea, which consider it to lie within their respectiveexclusive economic zones.
The rock is located 149 kilometres (80 nmi; 93 mi) southwest ofMarado (just offJeju Island) in Korea.[3]Yushan Island ofZhejiang, China,[4] is 287 km (155 nmi; 178 mi) away from the rock. The rock serves as the foundation for KoreanIeodo Ocean Research Station.[5] A Korean helipad is also located there to allow the research station to be serviced.
In Korean, the rock itself is known asIeodo orParangdo. Internationally it is known asSocotra Rock, and in Chinese, it is known asSuyan Islet (苏岩礁;蘇巖礁;Sūyán Jiāo), which means the "rock" (岩/巖, yán) or "reef" (礁, jiāo) outside the coastal waters ofJiangsu (苏/蘇, sū, the abbreviation).[6]
Both "Parangdo" and "Ieodo" are names for the mythical island which the residents ofJeju Island believed housed the spirits of fishermen who perished at sea. TheSouth Korean government has asserted a direct connection between these legends and the modern-day rock, claiming that the traditional saying that "One who sees Parangdo would never return" refers to the danger facing sailors when high waves allow the rock to break the surface.[1][7]
Koreans even name the studies about Ieodo as "Ieodology".[8]Socotra Rock's Korean name was officially designated as "Ieodo" on 26 January 2001, by the Korea Institute of Geology.[9]
1910: Socotra Rock is surveyed by the British vesselWaterwitch, which measures the depth at less than 5.4 feet (1.6 m).[7] Vice Admiral Archibald Day, however, wrote in his bookThe Admiralty Hydrographic Service, 1795 - 1919 that this survey was 1901 not 1910.[10]
1938: The Japanese government surveys the rock. Plans are laid for a research station, but are cut short by the outbreak ofWorld War II.[7]
1951: A joint team of theRepublic of Korea Navy and the Korea Mountain Climbing Association reaches the rock and lowers a bronze marker bearing the legend "Ieodo, Territory of the Republic of Korea" ("대한민국 영토 이어도") onto its surface.[7]
1963: Yuejin shipwreck: The Chinese vesselYuejin sinks on her maiden voyage en route fromQingdao toNagoya after being struck by an underwater object. The crew of the ship claimed to have been attacked by a torpedo, causing an international affair. It was later found that due to a navigational error by the crew, the "Yuejin" had actually struck Socotra Rock which was marked on navigational charts at the time.[12] This was not recognized by the Koreas or other neighboring countries.
1963 5.1-6.3,Shanghai Riverway Bureau fleet finds the shipwreck 1.5 nautical miles (2.8 km) southeast of Socotra Rock.[13]
1970: South Korea's Underwater Resource Development Law was enacted, defining Socotra Rock to lie within the country's fourth mining field.[11] This move was not recognised by the PRC.
1987: A warningbeacon is placed on the rock by South Korea.[7]
1992:Chinese Navy surveyed the Socotra Rock completely for the first time.[14]
1995-2001: the Republic of Korea builds theIeodo Ocean Research Station on Socotra Rock despite the objections from People's Republic of China. Several overflights of the area have since been made by the PRC surveillance aircraft.[15]
2001: the Korea Institute of Geology officially designates the rock as "Ieodo" on 26 January 2001.[9][16]
According to theUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a submerged reef can not be claimed as territory by any country.[17] In September 2006, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesmanQin Gang (秦刚) stated that China regarded South Korea's "unilateral" activities in the region, referring to Korean scientific observatories on Socotra, to be "illegal"; no islands were mentioned, and it was stated that China had no territorial dispute with South Korea.[18] However, China and South Korea dispute which is entitled to claim it as part of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).[19]
^"" '이어도는 우리 땅' 임을 명확히 하겠다"‥ 영토 표지석 건립 추진" ["We will declare that 'Ieodo is Korean territory'" ─ It will promote the building of landmark stone of territory] (in Korean). 22 March 2005. Retrieved18 February 2015.
