• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.485-495
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• 2011

On February 11, 2011, upon request of the International Seabed Authority, 'the Seabed Dispute Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea(henceforth Chamber)' rendered its advisory opinion on the responsibilities and obligations of States sponsoring persons and entities with respect to activities in the Area. The advisory opinion covered three questions: What are the legal responsibilities and obligations of the sponsoring states with respect to the sponsorship of activities in the Area? What is the extent of liability of a State Party for any failure to comply with the LOS Convention and relevant instruments? What are the necessary and appropriate measures that a sponsoring State must take in order to fulfil its responsibilities? In particular, the Chamber delivered its opinion on the different responsibilities and obligations of developed and developing sponsoring states. This paper reviews the above three questions through analyzing the advisory opinion and makes some recommendations for the fulfillment of the responsibilities and obligations of Korea as a sponsoring states.