The International Hydrographic Conference wrapped up on Thursday without the adoption of “East Sea” as the name of the body of water between Korea and Japan.

The International Hydrographic Organization will therefore continue to refer to the body of water as the Sea of Japan, as favored by the Japanese government.

The government and civil society are expected to try and convince reluctant states over the next five years until the next meeting, observers said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Friday said the 18th general meeting of the IHO that ensures uniformity in nautical charts and documents wrapped up in Monaco without a decision on the name change.

A delegation was assigned to persuade 78 out of 80 member states, excluding North and South Korea, to have the international organization formally adopt East Sea because the currently used name reflects unilateral claims by the Japanese administration to sovereignty over the waters.

The IHO publishes “Limits of the Oceans and Seas,” which contains geographic information about maritime affairs. The sea, described as the Sea of Korea in several international historical books predating the colonial era, has been described as Sea of Japan since 1929, which was during the Japanese colonial regime (1910-1945). The name has not been revised despite appeals from the Korean government and civic groups.

“One fortunate thing was that no member state supported the Japanese delegation’s idea of sticking with ‘Sea of Japan’ either. Japan has called for a vote but a total of 77 states abstained from the ballot,” a foreign ministry official said.

Baek Ji-ah, head of the delegation, said the two Koreas have been collaborating on the issue, with the North Korean delegation calling for the waters to be named “East Sea of Korea.” The South has been more flexible, asking for the IHO to use both East Sea and Sea of Japan together for its maps.

The government said it will work on convincing the fellow states that the name change, or least the dual adoption, is reasonable. Civic groups have also vowed to continue their campaigns to promote East Sea.

Some suggest that the continuous tension between Korea and Japan is driving other countries away from the issue.

The Chinese delegation has reportedly suggested the abolishment of the Limits of the Oceans and Seas.

“Member states are growing tired of the issue. They think it is better if the IHO does not publish the book anymore,” said professor Kim Hyun-su of Inha University, who was also a member of the delegation,

He suggested that the IHO’s capability to manage the issue has been called into question.

“Members are sharing an understanding that streamlining and redefining the role of IHO is needed at this point,” he said.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)