The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) has put off a decision on whether it will officially recognize the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan as the "East Sea."

South Korean and Japanese delegations failed to find common ground over the labeling of the waters at the IHO's 18th general assembly that closes Friday. Neither side would yield an inch, putting a halt to the discussion until the organization holds its next general assembly in 2017.

South Korea is calling for dual recognition of the waters as both "East Sea" and "Sea of Japan." Currently, the IHO only recognizes the Sea of Japan label.

Earlier this week, the Japanese delegation proposed the formation of a working-level group to draw up a revised edition of the IHO's publication, the "Limits of Oceans and Seas," based on a 1953 edition. The proposal was put to a vote and only found support from Japan, while other countries rejected it entirely or abstained.

Though South Korea’s delegation did not come away from the general assembly with its desired result, the dual usage of “East Sea” and “Sea of Japan” has jumped more than 30 percent in various global nautical charts.