A photo exhibition on China’s illegal construction of artificial islands in the East Sea was opened at the Kyung Hee University, a renowned school in Seoul of the Republic of Korea (RoK), on November 29.

The event is held by the association of descendants of Vietnam’s Ly dynasty family in the RoK as part of the 11th festival of Vietnamese students in the country.

Visitors at the exhibition. (Photo: Vietnam+)

It features more than 40 photos on China’s illegal island reclamation and building in the East Sea and copies of old maps proving Vietnam’s sovereignty over Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagoes.

Opening the display, Chairman of the association Lee Seung Young said the East Sea is home to an international shipping route, which is important to all countries inside and outside of the region. The maintenance of an environment of peace, stability and development in the waters is the responsibility of all nations and crucial to ensuring peace, security, navigation and aviation freedom, and international trading activities.

He added that the exhibition is meant to give visitors an insight into Vietnam’s sea and island sovereignty and China’s illegal island construction that changed the entities and reefs in Vietnam’s Hoang Sa and Truong Sa, causing impact on regional peace, stability and navigation safety as well as the marine environment and ecological systems in the waters.

In his speech at the Vietnamese students’ festival, Vietnamese Ambassador to the RoK Pham Huu Chi said he hopes that the event will help RoK and foreign visitors gain a better understanding of China’s illegal island building, which is a serious violation of Vietnam’s sovereignty, along with Vietnam’s efforts to protect its sovereignty in the East Sea throughout history.

The photo exhibition is the fourth of its kind on this topic held so far in the RoK. The previous events were organised in Busan, Gwangju and Daejeon cities.

Source: VNA