International cooperation in marine affairs plays a leading role in handling marine environmental issues around Korea, advancing marine environmental management, and enabling national empowerment. It also increases national influence within the global society by reinforcing activities in international organizations and regional communities. The figure above displays some of the many overseas laboratories and institutes that hold partnerships with South Korea.

 

 Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) were established as a project of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to promote collaborations on marine environment initiatives around East Asia, including marine ecosystem preservation and sustainable use planning for coastal/marine resources. Eight member countries developed the program as an international organization in 2009 to further manage marine environment issues. Korea became a member in 1994 and is currently one of eleven countries (including China, Japan, Singapore, and Vietnam) that are working with the organization.

 

 Since 1974, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) developed a series of world regional sea programs. As one of the programs, the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) was established in 1994 to preserve and develop the East Asian coastal/marine environment. A total of ten countries, including Korea (which joined in 1994), Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia, and China, are currently developing and implementing management guidelines for marine environment preservation and estimating the status of the marine environment in the East Asian seas.

 

 The Northwest Pacific Action Plan (NOWPAP), also one of UNEP's regional programs, was founded in 1994 by the governments of four countries near the Northwestern Pacific Ocean (Korea, China, Japan, and Russia). It was established to strengthen the countries' cooperation in preserving coastal/ marine environments and in pursuing sustainable development in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean. NOWPAP has four local activity centers that are used for its annual intergovernmental conference, secretariat, joint projects, and expert meetings.

 

 The Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem (YSLME) project was established with the support of Korea, China, and the UNDP/Global Environment Facility (GEF). Its agenda pushes for the sustainable use of the Yellow Sea environment, which has been damaged by overfishing and reckless coastal development. The first stage of the project was carried out from 2005 to 2009, and the second stage, which began in June 2014, will continue to May 2017. The purpose of the second stage is based on the national strategic plan to reduce pollution sources and preserve fisheries in the Yellow Sea.

 

 The Korea-China Yellow Sea Marine Environment Joint Survey, which was carried out for 12 years from 1997 to 2008, is the sole Yellow Sea project that Korea and China surveyed together. The survey results are projected to help solve marine environment disputes between the two countries.