SEOUL, 27 April 2016 - The Philippine Embassy in Seoul got a perfect score in having all of South Korea's English-language broadsheets publish an op-ed about the West Philippine Sea, with a focus on the arbitration case filed by the Philippines questioning the legality of China's "nine-dashed line" claim in the South China Sea before the Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague.

The 1,125-word letter to the editor by Philippine Ambassador to Korea Raul S. Hernandez first came out on the 22nd of April 2016 edition of the Korea JoongAng Daily, the English language version of JoongAng Ilbo, traditionally considered one of the three biggest newspapers in South Korea, together with Chosun Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo.

The article, entitled "The way forward on the SCS," states in the subheading: "One of the most pressing challenges is keeping a predictable and peaceful maritime order, particularly in the South China Sea." The Korea JoongAng Daily is currently the local partner of the International New York Times.

Two days later, the Korea Herald published "The way forward on South China Sea dispute" on page 11 on 24 April 2016, with Ambassador Hernandez' name prominently featured as author. The Korea Herald was founded in 1953 and is a member of the Asia News Network (ANN).

On 26 April 2016 the Korea Times, the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea, published "Arbitration and disputes in South China Sea" in the Opinion section on page 9.

Finally, the online English- and Korean-language news site, Korea Post, published on 27 April 2016 "Arbitration, way forward on disputes in S. China Sea region," above the subheading "Challenges, disputes must be managed wisely".

In the article, Ambassador Hernandez explains how the Philippines filed in January 2013 a case seeking to clarify maritime entitlements in the South China Sea in accordance with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In October 2015, the Arbitral Tribunal set up by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague assumed jurisdiction over the case.

A decision by the Tribunal is expected in the coming months.

Ambassador Hernandez also wrote about the common interests of the Philippines and South Korea in ensuring the rule of law is respected in the South China Sea.

"As maritime nations, the Philippines and the Republic of Korea have worked together for a secure and rules-based maritime order in the region through mechanisms such as the ASEAN-Korea Strategic Partnership, and institutions such as the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit," he wrote in the op-ed.

"The Philippines and the Republic of Korea cooperate with each other and with other countries in the region not only because, as seafaring nations, they have maritime interests to protect, but also because both countries have a stake in upholding the rule of law and building a rules-based regional security architecture that we all envision: one that is stable, predictable, and enables our peoples to live in peace and prosperity."

The articles published in Seoul follow editorials or letters to the editor authored by high-level officials of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and published in overseas dailies this year.

The Philippine mission to ASEAN in Jakarta had "Arbitration is right, aggressive behavior is not" published in the Jakarta Post on 28 January 2016. The Philippine ambassador to Singapore had "Arbitration upholds rule of law in the South China Sea" in the Straits Times on 18 March 2016. Then the Philippine ambassador to Canada had a letter to the editor published in the Ottawa Life on 14 April 2016. All three responded to assertions by China's ambassadors assigned to those countries.

Former Philippine Foreign Undersecretary Evan Garcia penned "The Way Forward in PH case vs China" in the Philippine daily Inquirer on 26 April 2016.

All articles in the Korean newspapers may be accessed through the following links:

Korea JoongAng Daily: http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3017811
The Korea Herald: http://m.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20160424000321&ntn=0#jyk
The Korea Times: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2016/04/197_203451.html
The Korea Post (English): http://www.koreapost.com/news/view.html?section=165&category=192&no=1268
The Korea Post (Korean): http://www.koreapost.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=11245