SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE LIANCOURT ROCKS: A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THE DISPUTE BETWEEN JAPAN AND THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA CARMEL PROUDFOOT 31249801 Bachelor of Laws/Bachelor of Arts Murdoch University This thesis is presented for the Honours degree of Bachelor of Laws of Murdoch University (November 2014) Word Count: 19,285 DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I, Carmel Proudfoot, declare that this thesis is my own work and has not been previously submitted for any award. All sources relied upon and used have been acknowledged. i COPYRIGHT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I acknowledge that a copy of this thesis will be held at the Murdoch University Library. I understand that, under the provisions of s51.2 of the Copyright Act 1968, all or part of this thesis may be copied without infringement of copyright where such reproduction is for the purposes of study and research. This statement does not signal any transfer of copyright away from the author. Signed: ………………………………… Full Name of Degree: Bachelor of Laws with Honours Thesis Title: Sovereignty over the Liancourt Rocks: A Comprehensive Overview of the Dispute between Japan and the Republic of Korea Author: Carmel Proudfoot Year: 2014 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Lorraine Finlay, for her encouragement, support and guidance, not only in the preparation of this thesis but throughout my university studies. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their support throughout this process. Special thanks to my parents, who have been there every step of the way. iii ABSTRACT The Liancourt Rocks dispute is one of a series of ongoing island disputes in East Asia. The dispute centres on two tiny rocks in the Sea of Japan that have been disputed between Japan and South Korea for centuries. Despite its long history, the dispute has not received much Western attention and has never been resolved. This paper considers several aspects of the issue including the law of sovereignty and its application to this problem, the ability of North Korea to claim the Rocks as a successor of the Kingdom of Korea, the potential for the Rocks to generate extended maritime zones under the law of the sea and the possibility of using a condominium to share the resources of the region. In doing so, this paper seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the dispute and provide practical proposals for its resolution. This paper seeks to answer the question of how this dispute would be resolved at law. It is argued that South Korea would prevail over both Japan and North Korea, but that this would not generate the extended maritime zones envisaged by the parties. However, even utilising unconventional solutions like condominiums would not resolve the underlying problem which is ultimately a matter of national pride. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS I Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 II Law of Sovereignty ...................................................................................... 4 A Title to Territory ........................................................................................ 4 1 Original Title .......................................................................................... 5 (a) Discovery ......................................................................................... 5 (b) Effective Occupation ....................................................................... 6 2 Derivative Title ..................................................................................... 10 (a) Prescription .................................................................................... 10 (b) Subjugation .................................................................................... 12 (c) Cession ........................................................................................... 12 B Contiguity ................................................................................................ 13 C Intertemporal Law & Critical Date .......................................................... 14 III Sovereignty over the Liancourt Rocks ................................................... 17 A Claims to Title ......................................................................................... 17 1 Historic Title ......................................................................................... 17 (a) Discovery: 512 AD to 1667 ........................................................... 17 (b) The Takeshima Affair: 1693-1696 ................................................ 19 (c) The Vacant Island: 1700 to 1905 ................................................... 20 2 Impact of War ....................................................................................... 22 (a) Annexation: 1904-1945 ................................................................. 22 (b) Post War: 1945-1951 ..................................................................... 25 (i) Wartime Planning ....................................................................... 25 (ii) SCAPINs ................................................................................... 26 (iii) The Peace Treaty ...................................................................... 27 (iv) Final Result ............................................................................... 29 3 Modern Day .......................................................................................... 30 B Contiguity ................................................................................................ 33 C The Critical Date ...................................................................................... 35 D Conclusion ............................................................................................... 37 IV North Korea .............................................................................................. 39 A History of Two Koreas ............................................................................ 39 v 1 One War to Another ............................................................................. 39 2 Modern Day .......................................................................................... 41 B Creation of States ..................................................................................... 43 1 Defined Territory .................................................................................. 44 2 Government and Capacity to Enter into Relations ............................... 44 3 Independence ........................................................................................ 46 4 Recognition .......................................................................................... 47 C State Succession ...................................................................................... 48 D Application .............................................................................................. 50 1 North Korea’s Ability to Access the ICJ .............................................. 50 2 North Korean Claims ............................................................................ 53 E Conclusion ............................................................................................... 54 V UNCLOS .................................................................................................... 56 A Law of the Sea ......................................................................................... 56 1 UNCLOS .............................................................................................. 56 2 Article 121(3) ....................................................................................... 59 B Maritime Boundary Delimitation ............................................................ 63 1 Equitable Delimitation ......................................................................... 63 2 Effect of Islands .................................................................................... 67 C Application .............................................................................................. 68 1 Liancourt Rock’s Entitlement to Maritime Zones ................................ 68 2 Boundary Delimitation between Japan and South Korea ..................... 69 D Conclusion ............................................................................................... 71 VI Condominiums ......................................................................................... 73 A Condominiums ........................................................................................ 73 1 Historical Use ....................................................................................... 73 2 The Gulf of Fonseca ............................................................................. 77 B A Middle Ground: Condominium over the Liancourt Rocks .................. 79 C Would it Resolve the Problem? ............................................................... 84 VII Conclusion ............................................................................................... 87 Bibliography .................................................................................................. 89 vi I INTRODUCTION In the middle of the Sea of Japan are two tiny rocks at the centre of an ancient and ongoing dispute between Japan and South Korea. These Rocks have had various names over the centuries, including Matsushima and Takeshima in Japanese1 or Seokdo, Dokdo and Tokdo in Korean.2 For the purposes of neutrality, this paper will