President Lee Jae-myung Yellow Sea Structures: China Expected to Dismantle Disputed Tower
President Lee Jae-myung's 2026 visit to China results in a potential removal of a disputed steel tower in the Yellow Sea and the resumption of EEZ talks.
Handshakes were exchanged in Beijing, but the real diplomatic heavy lifting is taking place in the Yellow Sea. President Lee Jae-myung announced on Jan. 7, 2026, that China is expected to remove at least one of its steel structures in contested waters—a move seen as a tactical de-escalation in a long-standing maritime standoff.
President Lee Jae-myung Yellow Sea Structures and Maritime Boundary Dispute
During a press conference in Shanghai marking the end of his four-day state visit, President Lee suggested that Beijing has agreed to dismantle a fixed 'management facility' built in 2022. According to Yonhap, Seoul has long feared these installations were serving as 'salami-slicing' tactics to establish a de facto territorial claim, echoing China's actions in the South China Sea.
They say two structures are aquaculture facilities and the third one is for management. They said they'll pull out the management facility, so I think it will be removed.
Breaking the Deadlock: Median Line vs. Proportionality
The core of the friction lies in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) demarcation. South Korea advocates for a 'median line' between the two coasts, while China argues the boundary should reflect coastal length and population density. With the Yellow Sea spanning less than 400 nautical miles at its widest, the overlap is inevitable. Crucially, both nations agreed to resume vice-ministerial talks on this issue—stalled since 2019—within this year.
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