Korea Strait

34°35′58″N 129°47′48″E / 34.59944°N 129.79667°E / 34.59944; 129.79667

Korea Strait
Map showing the Korea Strait.
Japanese name
Kanji	対馬海峡/朝鮮海峡
Hiragana	つしまかいきょう/ちょうせんかいきょう
Revised Hepburn	Tsushima Kaikyō /Chōsen kaikyō
South Korean name
Hangul	대한해협
Hanja	大韓海峽
Revised Romanization	Daehan Haehyeop
North Korean name
Chosŏn'gŭl	조선해협
Hancha	朝鮮海峽
McCune–Reischauer	Chosŏn Haehyŏp

The Korea Strait is a sea passage in East Asia between the Korean Peninsula and Japan. It connects the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Sea of Japan in the northwest Pacific Ocean. The strait is split by Tsushima Island into two parts: the Western Channel, and the Tsushima Strait or Eastern Channel. It is economically important, as many shipping lanes pass through the strait, and both Japan and South Korea allow free passage through it.

In ancient times, both Buddhism and Mongol invaders passed over the strait to reach Japan. More recently, it was the site of the 1950 Battle of Korea Strait during the Korean War. A tunnel running underneath the strait connecting Japan and Korea, the Japan–Korea Undersea Tunnel, has been proposed to connect the two countries.