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The '''Liancourt Rocks''' are ]s in the ](East Sea), claimed by both ] and ] but administered by ] since ].


'''Liancourt's rocks'''('''Dokdo''', 獨島) is Korean ]s in the ] (Sea of Japan). It has been the territory of Korea since the 6th century belonging to the ] kingdom of Korea (B.C. 57 - A.D. 935).
Korea classifies the rocks as a part of ], ] Province, while Japan regards them as within ], ], ].
Dokdo is a part of ], ] province of Korea. Ullenung County is in fact a bigger island that is located to the west of Dokdo. Dokdo is visible from Ulleungdo(the bigger island).


== Nature of the Liancourt Rocks == == Nature of Dokdo ==
* Dokdo does not have any trees. It is made up of rocks.
Dokdo is comprised mainly of two islands: East (Dongdo) and West island (Seodo). The distance between the two main islands is 110-160 meters. All together, Dokdo is compromised of 34 islands with 37 physical addresses (ranging from Mountain 1-37 of Dokdori, UlleungEup, Ulleungdo). The total area of Dokdo is 64,698 square meter. The highest point is 98 meter. The location is 131°52′∼ 131°53′to the East and 37°14′00″∼ 37°14′45″to the North. The distance from Ulleungdo to Dokdo is 90km; while the closest Japanese territory is Oki island 160km away.
* Dokdo has two main islands. They are called East (Dongdo) and West island (Seodo). The distance between the two main islands is 110-160 meters.
* They are composed of 34 islands with 37 physical addresses (ranging from Mountain 1-37 of Dokdori, UlleungEup, Ulleungdo).
* The total area is 64,698 square meter. The highest point is 98 meter.
* The location is 131°52′∼ 131°53′to the East and 37°14′00″∼ 37°14′45″to the North.
* A wharf is constructed in Nov. 1997. It is registered in August, 1998.
* The distance from Ulleungdo is 90km to the South East. The cloest Japanese territory is Oki island 160kim apart.


== Economical value of the Liancourt Rocks == == Economical value of Dokdo==
Dokdo is important for fishing and natural resource buried underneath and around the islands Dokdo is important for fishing and natural resource buried underneath and around the islands.

== Name change ==
The Ulleungdo (the bigger island) to the west of Dokdo is believed to be occupied by ethnic Koreans until it was conquered by a mainland kingdom. The islands were called Usan.
The present name, Dokdo, is believed to be from a name
Sukdo" which means rock islands in a Korean dialect. The first usage of the name of Dokdo was by Shim HeungTak who was the governer of Ulleungdo in 1906. In 1910, ] annexed Korea and Dokdo became part of the united Japan Korea empire. ] is another islands under dispute due to the occupation of Korea by Japan in 1910. See below.


== Pre-History == == Pre-History ==
Silla style pots dating back to the 4th century were discovered in Ulleungdo (the main island to the west of Dokdo). This indicates that the denizens of Ulleungdo were trading with Silla, and other Korean Kingdoms. As Dokdo is visible from Ulleungdo, it is probable that the residents of Ulleungdo knew of Dokdo. A.D. 300 : Silla kingdom style pots were discovered in Ulleungdo (the main island to the west of Dokdo). They were dated to A.D. 300. It indicated that Ulleungdo was trading with Silla out of the three Korean kingdoms. As Dokdo is visible from Ulleungdo, it is probable that the residents of Ulleungdo used Dokdo as a fishing ground.


==History== ==History ==
=== Silla Kingdom era ===
Historical identification of the islands is complicated by the presence of the nearby island of ], known as ''Utsuryo-to'' (鬱陵島) in modern Japanese but previously known under the names ''Matsushima'' and ''Takeshima''.
According to Imperial Korean records, '']'' (]), the first known reference to the islands in the world, proclaiming them a part of the independent Korean island state of ], dates from the ] in ] AD. Usan-guk became a protectorate of ] in ] as ] fell.


=== Josun Dynasty of Korea era ===
===Before 1618===
In 1432, in the empirical records(SeJongSilRok, the journal kept by the government), they classified two islands to the East: "In the middle of the sea to the East, there are two islands, called Usan and MuReung". The reason of the record is believed to describe the boundary of Korean territory around that time.
Korean scholars claim that '']'' (三國史記, ]) mentions the islets of ] and '''Usan-do''', the latter of which according to them corresponds to the Liancourt Rocks and, if so, would be the first known written reference. The islets were a part of the independent island state of ], dating back from the ] in ] AD. Usan-guk became a protectorate of ] in ] as ] fell. Usan-guk eventually fell to ] invasion and later was administered directly by the mainland government.


In the ] of Korea (from 1312 to 1910), Koreans called Dokdo with various names such as "SamBongdo"(meaning 3 peaks), "Usando" and "Gajido".
However, '']'' only mentions an island state of Usan-'''guk''', which is also known as an island of Ulleung-do, not two islets of Ulleung-do and Usan-'''do''': 于山國征服, 歳以土宜為貢, '''于山國''', 在溟州東海島, '''或名鬱陵島''', 地方一百里, 恃嶮不服, 伊喰異斯夫, 為何琵羅州軍主, 謂于山人愚悍, 難以威来, 可以計服, 乃多造木偶師子, 分載戦船, 抵其國海岸, 誑告曰, 汝若不服, 則放此猛獣踏殺之, 國人恐懼則降. The hanja "do" (島) refers to island, whereas "guk" (國) refers to state/nation.


In 1899, in the official government geography (DaeHanJiJi), we can find Dokdo is denoted as "Usan" next to Ulleungdo (the closest island). At that time, it was belonged to Ganwon province, not the present Kyongsang province by the order of then Korean emperor, "GoJong".
Also in Korean maps of the period such as (&#54036;&#46020;&#52509;&#46020;, 1530), Usan-do is situated to the ''west'' of Ulleung-do. This is contrary to the current location of the Liancourt Rocks.<!--See the note-->


The first usage of the name of Dokdo was by ] who was the governer of Ulleungdo in 1906.
===1618-1900===
''Takeshima Tokai Yuraiki Bassho Hikae'' (&#31481;&#23798;&#28193;&#28023;&#30001;&#26469;&#35352;&#25244;&#26360;&#25511;), written by &#332;ya Kyuemon (&#22823;&#35895;&#20061;&#21491;&#34907;&#38272;), records that in ] the ] granted the &#332;ya and Murakawa families of ] (modern ]) the permission to take feudal tenure of Ulleung-do, known at the time as '''Takeshima''' in Japanese. The families were using the sea around the islet for fishing as late as 1696. On the seaway to Ulleung-do were the Liancourt Rocks, known as '''Matsushima''' (&#26494;&#23798;) by the Japanese, which were used as an intermediate port of call by their fishermen.


In 1914, Dokdo became part of Kyungsang province.
On April 17th, 1693, two Korean fishermen, Ahn Yang-bok (&#23433;&#63940;&#31119;) and &#26420;&#26044;&#23663;, were captured by the fishermen of the &#332;ya family and brought back to Japan. ] reported the incident to the Tokugawa shogunate, and the shogunate through Tsushima-han (&#23550;&#39340;&#34281;) told the ] (Korea) to tighten the control of Korean transgressors. ''Nanakajo Hento-sho'' (&#19971;&#31623;&#26465;&#36820;&#31572;&#26360;) for example alleges that Koreans without permission used the Japanese facilities and stole their fishing equipment. In ], when the issue of the attribution of Ulleung-do was raised, the Yi Chosun dynasty told the shogunate to back off from Ulleung-do, because Ulleung-do could be seen from the Korean Peninsula as documented in &#26481;&#22283;&#36671;&#22320;&#21213;&#35239;. With this the Tokugawa shogunate prohibited the vessels of Tottori-han from going to Ulleung-do. Some Korean scholars claim that the the Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo/Matsushima) also was included among the prohibited islands; however, there was no mention of the Liancourt Rocks in the actual injunction from the shogunate. In fact the Tokugawa shogunate did not prohibit passage to the Liancourt Rocks. <!-- This last sentence is from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs website http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/asia-paci/takeshima/position.html-->


In 1849, France charted Dokdo and inclued it into their map with the name "]". Later, 1885, the British warship Hornet charted Dokdo and included in their map as "]".
The location of the Liancourt Rocks is recorded in many maps published in Japan such as ''Kaisei Nippon Yochi Rotei Zenzu'' (&#25913;&#27491;&#26085;&#26412;&#36671;&#22320;&#36335;&#31243;&#20840;&#22259;, Revised Complete Map of Japanese Lands and Roads) published by Sekisui Nagakubo (&#38263;&#20037;&#20445;&#36196;&#27700;) in 1779 among others.


Japan claims Dokdo as their territory and here is ] of the history of Dokdo.
Professor Kim Mun-Gi (&#37329;&#25991;&#36215;) of Pusan University of Foreign Studies claims that he found an old Japanese map titled '''' (&#26397;&#39854;&#20843;&#36947;&#20043;&#22294;, 1758) that writes Ulleung-do and the Liancourt Rocks as one big island within the Korean territory and so that this map evidences that Japan recognized the Liancourt Rocks as Korean territory. Japanese sources claim that the map only shows that the island called Ulleung-do is a territory of a state called Usan-guk and does not mention the Liancourt Rocks.


According to Japanese records, the islands, then known as ''Matsushima''(Pinetree islands), were granted to the Ooya and Murakawa families of ] (modern ]) by the ] in the ]. The two families were actually two fishermen who happened to be drifted to Ulleung islands in 1616. They found that the islands had not been occupied and asked government a permission to fish and log trees. The permission lasted for about 80 years until the government banned them acknowledging the Korean sovereignty of Dokdo. The common ] name, Liancourt Rocks, was given by a ] whaling ship in ].
Park Young-Sik (&#26420;&#28851;&#26893;), a Korean scholar, argues that ''Historical Geography of Great Japan'' (&#22823;&#26085;&#26412;&#22320;&#21517;&#36766;&#26360;), published by Yoshira Dogo (&#21513;&#30000;&#26481;&#20237;) on ], ], records that when the local government of ] had inquired of the Japanese Meiji government whether the Liancourt Rocks would be merged into Shimane county, the Meiji government of Japan issued on ], ] that Japan had no relation with Takeshima. However, this refers to the islet of ], not the Liancourt Rocks, as noted on the page 434-435 of ''Historical Geography of Great Japan''. <!-- This is not subject to interpretation. It's on the very book. -->
Since the forceful annexation of Korea to Japan by the emperial Japan in 1910, Japan claimed them as their territory. The reason why the islands were not inhabitted when the two Japanese fishermen were drifted to them was due to lootings of Japanese pirates in the Far Eastern seas. Korean government occasionally conquered and erradicated them, but Japanese pirates kept attacking islands and coastlines of Korea. To protect residents, Korea occasionally evacuated some parts of the coast and islands and recolonized when there was a necessity.


After a request by a Japanese fisherman, on ], ] upon the loss of Korean naval sovereignty after the ] the islands under the name ''Takeshima'' were proclaimed a part of ] in ] under the doctrine of '']''.
According to Korean scholars, Dae Dong Yeo Ji Do (&#22823;&#26481;&#36671;&#22320;&#22294;, &#45824;&#46041;&#50668;&#51648;&#46020;), a map of Korea created by Jeongho Kim (&#37329;&#27491;&#28009;, &#44608;&#51221;&#54840;) in ], includes the Liancourt Rocks.


During ], the island was used as a naval base by the Imperial Japanese Navy.
===1900 to 1950===
On October 25, 1900, the ] issued (&#22823;&#38867;&#24093;&#22283;&#21189;&#20196;&#31532;41&#21495;), renaming ] (&#39729;&#38517;&#23798;) as Ul-do (&#39729;&#23798;) and incorporating the islands of Ulleung-do, Chuk-do (&#31481;&#23798;) and Sok-do (&#30707;&#23798;) in the county. A webpage asserts that the sok of Sok-do is a variant form of dok in the ] dialect and that this thus refers to the Liancourt Rocks.


Upon Japan's defeat and occupation by the ], ] Instruction #677 of ], ] excluded the islands from Japan's administrative authority. However, the instruction specifically stated that it was not an 'ultimate determination' of the islands' fate, and all other islands listed in the document were eventually returned to Japan. The ] ], which settled the sovereignty of most other disputed islands, did not mention the islands.
After a request by a Japanese fisherman, on ], ] upon the loss of Korean naval sovereignty after the ] the Liancourt Rocks under the name ''Takeshima'' were proclaimed a part of ] in ] under the doctrine of '']''. Korea disputes the claim


On ], ], the Government of South Korea ordered the army to enforce their claim on the island, and in the same year on ], South Korean volunteer coast guards set up camp on the island. On ], ], two Japanese coast guard vessels landed on the East Islet, drove off the Korean guards and set up a territorial marker, but did not attempt permanent occupation. The Koreans soon returned and several armed skirmishes followed, leading to the sinking of a Japanese ship by Korean mortar fire on ], ]. Japan protested and suggested arbitration at the ], but the offer was rejected by South Korea who has had experienced the same tactic in ] in the early 1900s: a Japanese ship was sunken by Korean coastal fire arms requesting withdrawl from the Korean territory. This led to a modernized Japanese army invasion to Korean peninsula. After the incident in 1954, South Korea built a ] and ] landing pad on the islet, which it has occupied ever since.
However, this is problematic, because,
During ], the island was used as a naval base by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Furthermore, as late as 1923, Japanese maps such as the ''Chosen Engan Suiroshi'' (Korean Coastal Straits, &#26397;&#39854;&#27839;&#23736;&#27700;&#36335;&#35468;, 1933) made by the Japanese Navy cited Dokdo/Takeshima as part of Korea. Even more, Japanese maps made immediately after the 1905 Japan's acquiring of Dokdo/Takeshima, such as the ''Kankoku Shinchiri'' (New Geography of Korea, &#38867;&#22283;&#26032;&#22320;&#29702;), ''Teikoku Encyclopedia'' (&#24093;&#22283;&#30334;&#31185;&#20840;&#26360;) Number 134, which was published in September 1905, a whole six months after the islands were incorporated into the Shimane Prefecture, recognised Dokdo as Korean territory.


== Chronicles of Dokdo ==
Upon Japan's defeat and occupation by the ], ] Instruction #677 of ], ] excluded the islands from Japan's administrative authority. However, the instruction specifically stated that it was not an 'ultimate determination' of the islands' fate, and all other islands listed in the document were eventually returned to Japan. The ] ], which settled the sovereignty of most other disputed islands, did not mention the islands.
# A.D. 300 : Silla kingdom pots were discovered in Ulleungdo (the main island to the west of Dokdo). They were dated to A.D. 300. It indicated that Ulleungdo was trading with Silla out of the three Korean kingdoms. As Dokdo is visible from Ulleungdo, it is probable that the residents of Ulleungdo used Dokdo as a fishing ground.

# A.D. 512 : Silla ordered "Yi Sabu" to conquer Usan-guk (the Ulleungdo kingdom). Silla soldiers made a wooden lion to scare the Usan-guk people. Usan-guk surrenderred to Silla.
===1950 to 1960===
# A.D. 930 : There is a record of paying tax by two residents of Ulleungdo, "Back Gil" and "Tae Doo" to Goryo dynasty of Korea.
On ], ], the Government of South Korea ordered the army to enforce their claim on the island, and in the same year on ], South Korean volunteer coast guards set up camp on the island. On ], ], two Japanese coast guard vessels landed on the East Islet, drove off the Korean guards and set up a territorial marker, but did not attempt permanent occupation. The Koreans soon returned and several armed skirmishes followed, leading to the sinking of a Japanese ship by Korean mortar fire on ], ]. Japan protested and suggested arbitration at the ], but the offer was rejected by South Korea. After the incident, South Korea built a ] and ] landing pad on the islet, which it has administered ever since.
# A.D. 1018 : There was a report/news by the refugee Usan-guk people on Jurchen pirate attacks on Ulleungdo. Goryo dynasty gave them some agricultural equipment to support them.
# A.D. 1019 : The Goryo dynasty arranged the refugees to live in "YoungHae" district of Silla.
# A.D. 1157 : The king heard that the Ulleungdo was fertile and people were living in the islands in the past. He sent "Gim Yu-Rip" to examine the island(Ulleungdo). Gim reported that there are too much rocks and the king cancelled the re-colonization plan.
# A.D. 1197 : "Choi Chung Hun", the great scholar and politician of Goryo dynasty ordered to recolonize Ulleungdo. On the way, the ship met storm and lost many people. He ordered the people to come back.
# A.D. 1407 : The governer of Daemado (Tshshima) asked the Korean King (Josun dynasty), to colonize Ulleungdo. The king refused.
# A.D. 1425 : The government decided to evacuate the whole Ulleungdo (it seems that Koreans were keep visiting and living in the islands without the government's permission). The king ordered "Gim InWoo" to evacuate the islands. Gim was called "the general of Usan and MuReung" indicating that the dynasty was regarding the Ulleungdo and Dokdo as one entity.
# A.D. 1432 : A geography book describes Ulleungdo and Dokdo.
# A.D. 1531 : In one of the oldest maps of Korea (PalDoChongDo), Dokdo and Ulleungdo are marked as Korean territory (Dokdo is denoted to the west of Ulleungdo. It must be a mistake by the cartographer).
# A.D. 1693 : A Korean fisherman An YongBok saw Japanese fishermen around Ulleungdo. He went to Japan to protest the Japanese government. Then Japanese government apologized and promised to ban their fishermen to approach Ulleungdo and Dokdo. The Japanese government sent an official document of apology (written in the journal of SukJongSilRok, Jojeon dynasty).
# A.D. 1876 : The internal affair ministry of Japan denote that Ulleungdo and Dokdo are nothing to do with Japan. This shows the historical understanding on the sovereignty by both governments around that time.
# A.D. 1881 : Korean government received reports that Korean and Japanese people are having conflict in Ulleungdo and protested Japanese government.
## It is imporant to know that, for lay fishermen, the government's or historical facts are not important. The boundary of nations were not as clear as today. Imagine the situation in the northern Europen in 1700s.
# A.D. 1883 : Korea abanded the evacuation polity of Ulleungdo and sent 54 people to Ulleungdo.
# A.D. 1900 : Korea changed the name of Ulleungdo to Ulldo. The official guideline denoted that the governing area include all islets of Ulleungdo and Sukdo (Rock islands meaning Dokdo).
# A.D. 1905 : Japan took over Korean sea sovereighty. (By this time, Korea lost her diplomatic, military and political power to Japan. In 1910, Korea was forced to be annexed to Japan).
# A.D. 1905 : Japan put a watch tower in Dokdo to monitor Russian navy.
# A.D. 1948 : The republic of Korea was established and designated a regional address to Dokdo as a part of Ulleungdo.
# A.D. 1953 : A voluntary Dokdo guard was formed by 33 residents of Ulleungdo.
# A.D. 1956 : The Dokdo guard handed over their responsibility to Korean police.
# A.D. 1981 : Mr. "Choi JongDuk" moved his residential address to Dokdo and harvested seaweeds.


===1960 to 1990===
The issue of sovereignty over the islands was omitted from the 1965 ], and both sides maintain territorial claims. The ] maintains a policy of non-recognition for claims by either side, although several private memoranda recorded in the ''Foreign Relations of the United States'' between 1949 and 1951 appear to side with Japan's view and are occasionally brought up as "proof" of American support. On the other hand, recently discovered documents made by the American CIA in Busan in November, 1951 reveal that during the Korean War, Japan staked a claim to the islets by clandestinely landing a group of reporters on the Liancourt Rocks the very same month to survey the terrain. The documents further mention that the American government was opposed to Japan's claim to the islets at the time, and had been aligned with the South Korean argument since South Korea lobbied for the inclusion of the Liancourt Rocks at the time of the San Fransisco Peace Treaty's creation.


===Current situation===
According to ''Takeshima no rekishi chirigakuteki kenkyu'' (An Historical and Geographical Study of Takeshima, &#31481;&#23798;&#12398;&#27508;&#21490;&#22320;&#29702;&#23398;&#30340;&#30740;&#31350;) by a researcher Kawakami Kenzo (&#24029;&#19978;&#20581;&#19977;) for ] written in ], the Koreans were not aware of the Liancourt Rocks before the 20th century, as seen in the lack of documents pertaining to the Liancourt Rocks. Kenzo also asserts that Koreans did not have adequate naval navigation to reach Dok-do/Takeshima. Furthermore, he asserts that the Koreans on Ulleungdo could not see Dokdo, due to the heavy forestation on ]. However, Korean schlars argue that this claim is false as under the fair weather Liancourt Rocks can in fact be seen from Ulleung-do. Kim Cheol Hwan (&#44608;&#52384;&#54872;) among others published on ''Kyongbuk Ilbo'' () a photo of the Liancourt Rocks taken from ] on December 11, 1999. Furthermore, Kenzo does not deny that Koreans had adequate naval navagation to reach Ulleungdo.
The issue of sovereignty over the islands was omitted from the 1965 ], and both sides maintain territorial claims. The ] maintains a policy of non-recognition for claims by either side, although several private memoranda recorded in the ''Foreign Relations of the United States'' between 1949 and 1951 appear to side with Japan's view and are occasionally brought up as "proof" of American support.


The dispute has periodically flared up again, typically when South Korea acts to change the islets or their status (for example, building a wharf in ] or declaring them a natural monument in ]), resulting in a reassertion of the territorial claim by Japan. In 2002, two Japanese textbooks questioning ]'s claim to the islets were published, leading to protests in ]. Another conflict arose in March 2005, when the prefectual assembly of ] passed a bill to designate ] as "Takeshima Day," to commemorate the centenary of Japan's claim to the islands.
===1990 to present===
The dispute has periodically flared up again, typically when South Korea acts to change the islets or their status (for example, building a wharf in ] or declaring them a natural monument in ]), resulting in a reassertion of the territorial claim by Japan. In 2002, two Japanese textbooks questioning ]'s claim to the islets were published, leading to protests in ]. Another conflict arose in March 2005, when the prefectual assembly of ] passed a bill to designate ] as "Takeshima Day," to commemorate the centenary of Japan's claim to the islands. In response, the Korean Masan Municipal Government passed the "Daemado Day" bill unanimously.


In a survey performed in both countries, the level of interest in ] in relation to the islets was substantially lower, whereas over 99% of people surveyed in ] believed that the islets were part of their country. Korea shows the islets in all of their official maps, and includes them in weather forecasts as well. In a survey performed in both countries, the level of interest in ] in relation to the islets was substantially lower, whereas over 99% of people surveyed in ] believed that the islets were part of their country. Korea shows the islets in all of their official maps, and includes them in weather forecasts as well.
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According to the ] constitution, the entire ] and surrounding islands, including Liancourt Rocks, belongs to ] (as in the ] constitution) and North Korean' state press heavily criticizes ] for their "attempts to invade the Republic territory." According to the ] constitution, the entire ] and surrounding islands, including Liancourt Rocks, belongs to ] (as in the ] constitution) and North Korean' state press heavily criticizes ] for their "attempts to invade the Republic territory."


== External links == ==External links==
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Revision as of 00:09, 29 March 2005

Liancourt Rocks
Liancourt Rocks
Liancourt Rocks
Korean Name
Revised Romanization Dokdo
McCune-Reischauer Tokto
Hangul 독도
Hanja 獨島
Japanese Name
Hepburn Romaji Takeshima
Kanji 竹島
Map showing the location of the Liancourt Rocks
Map showing the location of the Liancourt Rocks

Liancourt's rocks(Dokdo, 獨島) is Korean islets in the East Sea (Sea of Japan). It has been the territory of Korea since the 6th century belonging to the Silla kingdom of Korea (B.C. 57 - A.D. 935). Dokdo is a part of Ulleung County, North Gyeongsang province of Korea. Ullenung County is in fact a bigger island that is located to the west of Dokdo. Dokdo is visible from Ulleungdo(the bigger island).

Nature of Dokdo

  • Dokdo does not have any trees. It is made up of rocks.
  • Dokdo has two main islands. They are called East (Dongdo) and West island (Seodo). The distance between the two main islands is 110-160 meters.
  • They are composed of 34 islands with 37 physical addresses (ranging from Mountain 1-37 of Dokdori, UlleungEup, Ulleungdo).
  • The total area is 64,698 square meter. The highest point is 98 meter.
  • The location is 131°52′∼ 131°53′to the East and 37°14′00″∼ 37°14′45″to the North.
  • A wharf is constructed in Nov. 1997. It is registered in August, 1998.
  • The distance from Ulleungdo is 90km to the South East. The cloest Japanese territory is Oki island 160kim apart.

Economical value of Dokdo

Dokdo is important for fishing and natural resource buried underneath and around the islands.

Name change

The Ulleungdo (the bigger island) to the west of Dokdo is believed to be occupied by ethnic Koreans until it was conquered by a mainland kingdom. The islands were called Usan. The present name, Dokdo, is believed to be from a name Sukdo" which means rock islands in a Korean dialect. The first usage of the name of Dokdo was by Shim HeungTak who was the governer of Ulleungdo in 1906. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea and Dokdo became part of the united Japan Korea empire. Daemado is another islands under dispute due to the occupation of Korea by Japan in 1910. See below.

Pre-History

A.D. 300 : Silla kingdom style pots were discovered in Ulleungdo (the main island to the west of Dokdo). They were dated to A.D. 300. It indicated that Ulleungdo was trading with Silla out of the three Korean kingdoms. As Dokdo is visible from Ulleungdo, it is probable that the residents of Ulleungdo used Dokdo as a fishing ground.

History

Silla Kingdom era

According to Imperial Korean records, Samguk Sagi (1145), the first known reference to the islands in the world, proclaiming them a part of the independent Korean island state of Usan-guk, dates from the Silla Dynasty in 512 AD. Usan-guk became a protectorate of Goryeo in 930 as Silla fell.

Josun Dynasty of Korea era

In 1432, in the empirical records(SeJongSilRok, the journal kept by the government), they classified two islands to the East: "In the middle of the sea to the East, there are two islands, called Usan and MuReung". The reason of the record is believed to describe the boundary of Korean territory around that time.

In the Josun dynasty of Korea (from 1312 to 1910), Koreans called Dokdo with various names such as "SamBongdo"(meaning 3 peaks), "Usando" and "Gajido".

In 1899, in the official government geography (DaeHanJiJi), we can find Dokdo is denoted as "Usan" next to Ulleungdo (the closest island). At that time, it was belonged to Ganwon province, not the present Kyongsang province by the order of then Korean emperor, "GoJong".

The first usage of the name of Dokdo was by Shim HeungTak who was the governer of Ulleungdo in 1906.

In 1914, Dokdo became part of Kyungsang province.

In 1849, France charted Dokdo and inclued it into their map with the name "Liancourt Rock". Later, 1885, the British warship Hornet charted Dokdo and included in their map as "Hornet Rock".

Japan claims Dokdo as their territory and here is their account of the history of Dokdo.

According to Japanese records, the islands, then known as Matsushima(Pinetree islands), were granted to the Ooya and Murakawa families of Hoki province (modern Tottori) by the Tokugawa Shogunate in the 1650s. The two families were actually two fishermen who happened to be drifted to Ulleung islands in 1616. They found that the islands had not been occupied and asked government a permission to fish and log trees. The permission lasted for about 80 years until the government banned them acknowledging the Korean sovereignty of Dokdo. The common English name, Liancourt Rocks, was given by a French whaling ship in 1849. Since the forceful annexation of Korea to Japan by the emperial Japan in 1910, Japan claimed them as their territory. The reason why the islands were not inhabitted when the two Japanese fishermen were drifted to them was due to lootings of Japanese pirates in the Far Eastern seas. Korean government occasionally conquered and erradicated them, but Japanese pirates kept attacking islands and coastlines of Korea. To protect residents, Korea occasionally evacuated some parts of the coast and islands and recolonized when there was a necessity.

After a request by a Japanese fisherman, on February 22, 1905 upon the loss of Korean naval sovereignty after the Russo-Japanese War the islands under the name Takeshima were proclaimed a part of Shimane prefecture in Japan under the doctrine of terra nullius.

During World War II, the island was used as a naval base by the Imperial Japanese Navy.

Upon Japan's defeat and occupation by the Allies, SCAP Instruction #677 of January 29, 1946 excluded the islands from Japan's administrative authority. However, the instruction specifically stated that it was not an 'ultimate determination' of the islands' fate, and all other islands listed in the document were eventually returned to Japan. The 1952 Treaty of San Francisco, which settled the sovereignty of most other disputed islands, did not mention the islands.

On January 12, 1953, the Government of South Korea ordered the army to enforce their claim on the island, and in the same year on April 20, South Korean volunteer coast guards set up camp on the island. On June 27, 1953, two Japanese coast guard vessels landed on the East Islet, drove off the Korean guards and set up a territorial marker, but did not attempt permanent occupation. The Koreans soon returned and several armed skirmishes followed, leading to the sinking of a Japanese ship by Korean mortar fire on April 21, 1954. Japan protested and suggested arbitration at the International Court of Justice, but the offer was rejected by South Korea who has had experienced the same tactic in the occupation and annexation in the early 1900s: a Japanese ship was sunken by Korean coastal fire arms requesting withdrawl from the Korean territory. This led to a modernized Japanese army invasion to Korean peninsula. After the incident in 1954, South Korea built a lighthouse and helicopter landing pad on the islet, which it has occupied ever since.

Chronicles of Dokdo

  1. A.D. 300 : Silla kingdom pots were discovered in Ulleungdo (the main island to the west of Dokdo). They were dated to A.D. 300. It indicated that Ulleungdo was trading with Silla out of the three Korean kingdoms. As Dokdo is visible from Ulleungdo, it is probable that the residents of Ulleungdo used Dokdo as a fishing ground.
  2. A.D. 512 : Silla ordered "Yi Sabu" to conquer Usan-guk (the Ulleungdo kingdom). Silla soldiers made a wooden lion to scare the Usan-guk people. Usan-guk surrenderred to Silla.
  3. A.D. 930 : There is a record of paying tax by two residents of Ulleungdo, "Back Gil" and "Tae Doo" to Goryo dynasty of Korea.
  4. A.D. 1018 : There was a report/news by the refugee Usan-guk people on Jurchen pirate attacks on Ulleungdo. Goryo dynasty gave them some agricultural equipment to support them.
  5. A.D. 1019 : The Goryo dynasty arranged the refugees to live in "YoungHae" district of Silla.
  6. A.D. 1157 : The king heard that the Ulleungdo was fertile and people were living in the islands in the past. He sent "Gim Yu-Rip" to examine the island(Ulleungdo). Gim reported that there are too much rocks and the king cancelled the re-colonization plan.
  7. A.D. 1197 : "Choi Chung Hun", the great scholar and politician of Goryo dynasty ordered to recolonize Ulleungdo. On the way, the ship met storm and lost many people. He ordered the people to come back.
  8. A.D. 1407 : The governer of Daemado (Tshshima) asked the Korean King (Josun dynasty), to colonize Ulleungdo. The king refused.
  9. A.D. 1425 : The government decided to evacuate the whole Ulleungdo (it seems that Koreans were keep visiting and living in the islands without the government's permission). The king ordered "Gim InWoo" to evacuate the islands. Gim was called "the general of Usan and MuReung" indicating that the dynasty was regarding the Ulleungdo and Dokdo as one entity.
  10. A.D. 1432 : A geography book describes Ulleungdo and Dokdo.
  11. A.D. 1531 : In one of the oldest maps of Korea (PalDoChongDo), Dokdo and Ulleungdo are marked as Korean territory (Dokdo is denoted to the west of Ulleungdo. It must be a mistake by the cartographer).
  12. A.D. 1693 : A Korean fisherman An YongBok saw Japanese fishermen around Ulleungdo. He went to Japan to protest the Japanese government. Then Japanese government apologized and promised to ban their fishermen to approach Ulleungdo and Dokdo. The Japanese government sent an official document of apology (written in the journal of SukJongSilRok, Jojeon dynasty).
  13. A.D. 1876 : The internal affair ministry of Japan denote that Ulleungdo and Dokdo are nothing to do with Japan. This shows the historical understanding on the sovereignty by both governments around that time.
  14. A.D. 1881 : Korean government received reports that Korean and Japanese people are having conflict in Ulleungdo and protested Japanese government.
    1. It is imporant to know that, for lay fishermen, the government's or historical facts are not important. The boundary of nations were not as clear as today. Imagine the situation in the northern Europen in 1700s.
  15. A.D. 1883 : Korea abanded the evacuation polity of Ulleungdo and sent 54 people to Ulleungdo.
  16. A.D. 1900 : Korea changed the name of Ulleungdo to Ulldo. The official guideline denoted that the governing area include all islets of Ulleungdo and Sukdo (Rock islands meaning Dokdo).
  17. A.D. 1905 : Japan took over Korean sea sovereighty. (By this time, Korea lost her diplomatic, military and political power to Japan. In 1910, Korea was forced to be annexed to Japan).
  18. A.D. 1905 : Japan put a watch tower in Dokdo to monitor Russian navy.
  19. A.D. 1948 : The republic of Korea was established and designated a regional address to Dokdo as a part of Ulleungdo.
  20. A.D. 1953 : A voluntary Dokdo guard was formed by 33 residents of Ulleungdo.
  21. A.D. 1956 : The Dokdo guard handed over their responsibility to Korean police.
  22. A.D. 1981 : Mr. "Choi JongDuk" moved his residential address to Dokdo and harvested seaweeds.


Current situation

The issue of sovereignty over the islands was omitted from the 1965 Basic Relations Treaty, and both sides maintain territorial claims. The United States maintains a policy of non-recognition for claims by either side, although several private memoranda recorded in the Foreign Relations of the United States between 1949 and 1951 appear to side with Japan's view and are occasionally brought up as "proof" of American support.

The dispute has periodically flared up again, typically when South Korea acts to change the islets or their status (for example, building a wharf in 1996 or declaring them a natural monument in 2002), resulting in a reassertion of the territorial claim by Japan. In 2002, two Japanese textbooks questioning Korea's claim to the islets were published, leading to protests in South Korea. Another conflict arose in March 2005, when the prefectual assembly of Shimane passed a bill to designate February 22 as "Takeshima Day," to commemorate the centenary of Japan's claim to the islands.

In a survey performed in both countries, the level of interest in Japan in relation to the islets was substantially lower, whereas over 99% of people surveyed in Korea believed that the islets were part of their country. Korea shows the islets in all of their official maps, and includes them in weather forecasts as well.

The Republic of Korea currently has stationed a small police unit on the islands, and there are a handful of Korean citizens who list the islands as their residence.

According to the North Korean constitution, the entire Korean peninsula and surrounding islands, including Liancourt Rocks, belongs to North Korea (as in the South Korean constitution) and North Korean' state press heavily criticizes Japan for their "attempts to invade the Republic territory."

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