The Korean government decided on Thursday, to accept a compromise by the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) to omit pages from its latest publication that refer to the East Sea solely as the Sea of Japan. Since the organization could no longer postpone publication of the fourth edition of Limits of Oceans and Seas, they will simply leave out any maps with the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese Islands. New maps and charts on this particular body of water will be made available once the contending parties agree on a mutually acceptable solution, possibly agreeing to use both names. The south Korean government has strongly urged the IHO to rule for the use of both names in their revised publications, but the fact that they have decided to distance themselves from the issue at this stage is a step in the direction. The IHO's position shows international recognition that it is inappropriate to call an entire body of water after one country when others dispute the claim.