한국홍보 콘텐츠 제작
Michael (Jeongkeun) Park
July 1st, 2019
Dokdo Justified
Dokdo, located approximately 87.4 kilometers from Ulleungdo, consists of two main islets and thirty-five surrounding rocks. The island, which is said to contain large deposits of natural gas and is a habitat for rare animal species, qualifies as a significant position in Korean territory both for environmental and military purpose. Dokdo is often referred to by different names, and the confusion over its nomenclature has been a primary cause of its territorial dispute between South Korea and Japan. Nevertheless, historical evidence suggests that Dokdo indeed belongs to South Korea; historical evidence such as the Taejong-Sillok, the Dong’guk Yeoji Seungnam, and the Ulleungdo Sajuk proves Dokdo as a territory of Korea.
To begin with, the Taejong-Sillok (Annuals of King Taejong) recorded that 60 people were living on Yusan-guk-do (Yusan state island, past name of Dokdo). The 1417 government report clearly indicates that under the expedition launched by Inspector Kim Inu, the expedition brought back “local products as tribute including bamboo, seal skins, raw ramie cloth, silk-wool, and ginger” (1417 government report). In addition, the report shows that there were fifteen households (summing to eighty-six inhabitants) on the island, proving Yusan-guk-do’s occupation. As Yusan-guk-do refers to a state based on Ulleng-do, this proves Korean ownership of Dokdo since the 1400s.
Furthermore, the Dong’guk Yeoji Seungnam (Augmented Geography Survey of Korea, 1481) also defines Dokdo as Korean territory. It is stated that “Usando and Ulleungdo are under the jurisdiction of Uljin-hyeon of Gangwon-do as an administrative unit” (Dong’guk Yeoji Seungnam). On top of that, The Paldo Chongdo (Map of the Eight Provinces), a revision of Dong’guk Yeoji Seungnam in 1531, shows two separate islands of Usando and Ulleungdo in the middle of the East Sea. Thus this proves as evidence that Dokdo continued to be a part of Korean territory since the 1400s, and was accepted into one of Korea’s provinces.
Lastly, the Ulleungdo Sajuk shows that contemporary Koreans regarded Dokdo under Korean control. Compiled by Korean government officer Jang Hansang in 1696, he stated that from Ulleungdo, “[he] noticed a faint island in the jin (east-south-east) not more than one-third of the size of Ulleung, and not possibly more than 300 lo (approximately 100km) away” (Jang 1696). It is also stated that he climbed to the peak of the island to discover the lack of Japanese islands, and hence the difficulty to distinguish the border between Korea and Japan. Ulleungdo Sajuk now serves as important evidence to prove Korean ownership of Dokdo, as it proves Dokdo has been under Korean sovereignty and control.
With the existence of numerous historical evidence that claims Dokdo as Korean territory, it is difficult to accept Japan’s perspective that Dokdo, or Takeshima is a territory of Japan. Japan has been demanding Dokdo dispute to be handled in the international court several times; nonetheless, there is very little need to even dispute about this matter. Dokdo has been under Korean control since the Silla Dynasty; it was merely taken with force during the Japanese annexation of Korea in the 1900s. While the dispute still continues between the two countries, Japan must recognize that further political problems may arise in the future without appropriate measures.