Journal of the Korean Geographical Society ISSN:1225-6633(Print) 대한지리학회지

This paper reviews international practices of naming undersea features, centered on SCUFN (Sub- Committee on Undersea Feature Names), and draws some implications for the newly announced undersea feature names in East Sea. Even though the history of the activities of naming undersea features in Korea is not long, recent years have witnessed considerable progress in finding and naming undersea features. In view of the guidelines for naming undersea features by SCUFN, it is evaluated that most of these names have been appropriately selected. But more justification should be made for specific terms using historical persons, symbolic term, and for two names proposed for those already listed in the Gazetteer. For further works on naming undersea features, three steps are suggested: first, conducting surveys and accumulating data on undersea features, second, naming and announcing newly found features and publicizing them, and third, making attempts to achieve international standardization of domestically announced names.