View of Gaidong Mountain, Yeosodong, Wando-gun, Jeonnam. /Courtesy of Ministry of the Interior and Safety

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries announced on the 20th that they have designated 'Yeoseodo' (麗瑞島), located in Wando-gun, Jeollanam-do, as the 'Island of the Year for 2025.'

Yeoseodo is an island with an area of 4.19㎢ and a shoreline of 13.33 km. It is located in the open sea, midway between Wando and Jeju Island, and is home to about 100 residents.

The government has been designating an island of the year since 2023 to raise awareness about the importance of baselines in territorial waters.

The baseline at the outermost edge of the territory serves as a starting point for determining the outer limits of domestic maritime jurisdiction under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It holds significant importance not only from a maritime perspective but also in terms of defense, security, ecology, and environmental considerations.

There are a total of 23 such baselines in the country. Among them, seven are inhabited islands: Eocheongdo (Gunsan, Jeonbuk), Sangwangdeungdo (Buan, Jeonbuk), Hoengdo (Yeonggwang, Jeonnam), Hongdo (Sinan, Jeonnam), Gageodo (Sinan, Jeonnam), Yeoseodo (Wando, Jeonnam), and Geomundo (Yeosu, Jeonnam).

The government plans to sequentially designate all seven islands as the island of the year by 2029.

Kim Myung-jin, director of international cooperation policy at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, noted, "The government is systematically managing the 2,918 uninhabited islands and surrounding waters in our country by continuously conducting surveys in accordance with the comprehensive management plan for uninhabited islands."

Noh Hong-seok, director of the balanced development support office at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said, "We will strive to ensure that the value of baseline islands, which are crucial in terms of military and security, is communicated to the public, and will enhance the level of practical support for improving living conditions for residents living on these islands so that they can take pride in their communities."