Two piston cores, obtained from the southwestern Ulleung Basin in East Sea, were analyzed to study the geochemical characteristics of the late Quaternary sediments and to detect any changes in sedimentary environment. The results show that the capacity of Total Organic Carbon is remarkably higher (average 1.8%) than that known from general open-sea. According to tephrochronology from known eruption ages, the sedimentation rates are high, ranging from 12.1 to 14.9 cm/kyr. The ratios of nitrogen and TOC (average 6.18-7.42) imply that the organic matter in the study area would be of oceanic origin. The correlation between sedimentation rates and sulfur contents suggests that the study area may be on the whole anoxic and somewhat high in primary productivity. During the Termination 1, inflows of organic matters were high. The sedimentary environments are characterized by rapid rates of sedimentation, and high anoxic values were compatible with accumulation of organic matters.