Development of the Arctic

The Arctic, where a cold snap tests human limits, was an uncharted territory until Robert Peary stepped on the North Pole in 1909. The 53-year-old explorer said, “Don’t be sad about being conquered. The North Pole, please shed tears with me.” A Korean group were the world`s 11th set of explorers to reach the North Pole in 1991.

The Arctic area refers to the area north of 66.56 degrees northern latitude including the Arctic Ocean spanning 21 million square kilometers, which is 6 percent of the earth’s surface. The icy Arctic Ocean spans 14 million square kilometers from the North Pole. The frozen earth and icy water made it hard to access the pole and attracted little attention except for scientific research or exploration purposes. Global warming, however, changed the fate of the Arctic. As the ice covering the earth and the ocean melted, developmental costs fell significantly. The Arctic turned from a wild and remote area to one slated for development. Russia is expected to be among countries to benefit the most since it has Siberia, followed by the U.S. with Alaska and Canada and Greenland.

The U.S. Geological Survey found that the Arctic has 22 percent of the world`s undiscovered oil and gas resources. Greenland, which is 10 times larger than the Korean Peninsula at 2.2 million square kilometers, was separated from Denmark in 2009 and had an autonomous government set up. Glaciers cover 80 percent of the huge island`s territory but its southwestern region gets warm enough to farm in summer. In addition to oil, Greenland is estimated to have rare earth metals that could meet 20 percent of global demand. If the ice covering the Arctic Ocean melts, a new waterway connecting Europe and Asia will appear. The envisioned water way could cut travel time 40 percent from the existing waterway via the Indian Ocean.

Russia, the U.S., Canada, Norway and Denmark, the five countries bordering the Arctic Ocean, announced in May 2008 the Ilulissat Declaration in Greenland’s Ilulissat. The five declared their right to own the Arctic Ocean. Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who made an official visit to Greenland, on Sunday discussed cooperation with the island such as green growth, resource development and a new Arctic waterway with the prime mister of the Greenland autonomous government. Shin Jae-hyeon, a lawyer and former energy and resource cooperation ambassador at the Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry, said, “I visited Greenland in August last year and was surprised to learn that even a Malaysian energy company was there, not to mention those from other developed countries. Korean companies should hurry up.”

Editorial Writer Park Yong (parky@donga.com)