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Korea ratifies UN agreement on sustainable use of marine biological diversity

Published: 20 Mar. 2025, 15:34

Korean Ambassador to the UN Hwang Joon-kook deposits an instrument of the ratification for the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement (BBNJ) to the office of the UN secretary-general in New York on March 19. [YONHAP]

Korea has formally confirmed its ratification of a UN agreement on the sustainable use of marine biological diversity, becoming the first East Asian country to do so, Korea's Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Korean Ambassador to the UN Hwang Joon-kook deposited an instrument of the ratification for the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement (BBNJ) to the UN secretary general, the ministry said in a release.

The BBNJ is a legally binding agreement established in response to growing concerns over the destruction of marine ecosystems in areas beyond national jurisdiction, where no specific regulatory framework exists.

It aims to create an international legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas and deep seabed. The agreement was adopted by the UN in June 2023 and Korea signed it in October of the same year.

Korea has become the 21st country to ratify the agreement and the first in East Asia to do so.

The agreement will take effect 120 days after 60 countries ratify it.

Once the agreement comes into force, it is expected to enhance marine biodiversity protection through measures such as the establishment of marine protected areas and implementation of environmental impact assessments, the ministry said.

Korea has decided to include an exception ensuring that the agreement will not apply retroactively to marine genetic resources acquired before its enforcement, a measure to minimize the impact on domestic industries and research, the ministry said.

Yonhap