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Introducing Ocean Research Stations,
High-tech base of ocean scientific research

The First Unmanned Ocean Research Station in the ROK

The First Unmanned Ocean Research Station in the ROK


Ieodo Ocean Research Station

About Ieodo

Ieodo is an underwater reef and its shallowest point is about 4.6 m below the sea level. Based on a depth of 40 m, it reaches about 600 m from north to south and about 750 m from east to west. Based on the summit, the southern and eastern sides have steep slopes, and the northern and western sides have relatively gentle slopes.

About the Station

The Ieodo Ocean Research Station is ROK’s first of its kind and was built to conduct comprehensive ocean observation including weather and environment. It is located on the path through which 60 % of typhoons land in the ROK, and they can be observed 8 to 12 hours before landing on the Korean Peninsula. Data collected from the Station which greatly affect the intensity of typhoons, such as changes of water temperature, wind speed, waves, and air pressure, is very useful for improving the accuracy of prediction of typhoon and preventing disasters.

The First Unmanned Ocean Research Station in the ROK
  • Location and History

    Map
    History
  • Main Functions

    • typhoon

      Provides real-time and predicted ocean and weather information

    • sea

      Helps understand the climate change and characteristics of marine environment in the Northwest Pacific

    • sea research

      Serves as a station for supporting the safety of navigation and search & rescue arine Accident

  • About the Ieodo Ocean Research Station

    • Structure

      Height: 76 m (36 m above water, 40 m underwater)
      Weight: 3 400 tons
      Size: 1 320 m2

    • Design Condition

      Life: 50 years
      Reference Wave Height: 24.6 m
      Reference Wind Velocity: 50 m/s in average
      Reference Tide Level: 3.7 m
      Reference Tidal Current: 2.34 m/s

  • History

    • Ieodo is well known as an island of fantasy and nirvana among the folk tale of Jejudo’s residents. The folk tale says that anyone seeing the island cannot return alive because Ieodo can only be seen when waves hit over 10 m high and fishing boats in those times could not return safely in such condition

    • Ieodo was first discovered by a British merchant ship Socotra in 1900 and was called “Socotra Rock”, named after the ship. In 1901, it was known as a 5.4 m deep reef by the British hydrographic survey ship HMS Waterwitch.

      In 1938, Japan planned to build an artificial structure in concrete measuring 15 m in diameter and 35 m in height above the surface for installing underwater relay facilities and a lighthouse, but it was cancelled due to the outbreak of the Pacific War.

      The existence of Ieodo was first known to the ROK in 1951 when a Korean mountain trekking club and the navy jointly explored this island and sank a copperplate engraved with “Ieodo” on the reef. After that, in 1984, a joint scientific exploration team of the Jeju University and the Korea Broadcasting System confirmed the location of the reef again, and in 1986, the reef was measured to have a depth of 4.6 m by a survey ship of the ROK Hydrographic Office (current KHOA). The first structure of Ieodo was a light buoy installed by a Port Authority in 1987 and this fact was promulgated internationally.

      The location of Ieodo is much closer to the ROK, therefore it will be within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the ROK when the EEZ is delimited with neighboring countries according to the equidistance principle.

    • Ieodo is located 80 miles (149 km) southwest of Marado in the south of Jejudo, 155 miles (287 km) east of Sheshando in China, and 149 miles (276 km) west of Torishima in Japan. Ieodo was within the Lee Line which declared sovereignty over adjacent seas in 1952, thus it fell under ROK’s maritime jurisdiction. It will also be within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the ROK when the EEZ is delimited according to the equidistance principle.

      In EEZs, coastal countries have exclusive rights to explore, develop, preserve, manage and economic development of artificial islands and natural resources for all purposes, whether for economic purposes or not, and to build facilities and structures for economic purposes. If the upper waters of a continental shelf are legally known as open seas, it can be interpreted that the exclusive right to marine structures of coastal countries is recognized only in the case of exploration of the continental shelf and the development of its natural resources.

      In the case of installing marine structures in EEZs and on continental shelves, coastal countries are obliged to consider the rights of other countries, announce the installation of marine structures, maintain permanent warning measures for their existence, and completely remove discarded or unused structures. However, Ieodo itself is an underwater reef that does not protrude to the surface during low and high tide, so no country can make territorial claims over it. In addition, even if artificial islands or marine structures are installed on Ieodo, they cannot be recognized as territories, and their existence does not affect the delimitation of EEZs or continental shelves. However, the area up to 500 m from the outer edge of the marine structure can be designated as a safe zone.