Japan’s Kyodo News says both South and North Korea called at UN gathering for the body of water between the Korean Peninsula and Japan to be jointly labeled as “East Sea” instead of solely "Sea of Japan."

Kyodo News reported Wednesday that South Korea asked for the recognition of the "East Sea" name during a United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names in New York on Tuesday. The report added that North Korea assumed the same position as the South.

South Korea stressed that discussions on the issue were not extensively carried out at the 18th general assembly of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) in Monaco in April and as a result, the labeling of the body of water was not revised.

The report added the North denounced Japan for failing to exercise flexibility on the matter.