A South Korean researcher has been appointed to an undersea feature names subcommittee of the International Hydrographic Organization.

Han Hyun-chul from the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources will serve on the Subcommittee on Undersea Feature Names, which names undersea features worldwide.

The first-ever inclusion of a South Korean in the international body is expected to give the country a boost in its dispute with Japan over naming the seabed near the Dokdo islets in the East Sea.

The eleven-member subcommittee has one Japanese member.