Dokdo Essay Contest Winners

This Dokdo Essay Contest was one of the dumber things that Koreans have ever done. Far from being “a symbol of peace and co-prosperity in Northeast Asia,” it was an exercise in stupidity. How is writing lies, half-truths, and anti-Japanese propaganda a symbol of peace and co-prosperity?

Also, the last thing Korea should be doing is trying to “booth awareness” about Dokdo in foreign countries because if foreigners do become aware of the facts, then they will realize that Korea’s claims on Dokdo are ridiculous lies and half-truths. Is that really something Korea wants the world to know?

The Northeast Asia History Foundation seems to be nothing more than a silly propaganda machine. If they were really a true research organization, then they would invite scholars on both sides of the issue to do presentations and to debate the evidence. They do not do that. What they essentially do is have little pep rallies where they bring in the same old cheerleaders who do the same old cheers. This time was a little different since they brought in some fresh goofballs to cheer for them.

Anyway, congratulations Kenneth Mainot for winning the “Gold Prize” in Korea’s Dokdo propaganda contest. Your future certainly looks bright.

Frogmouth,

How are the Japanese stretching the truth in regard to Dokdo? And don’t link me to any of your garbage because I will not read it. Just write it in simple language here.

Darth Babaganoosh,

Historical records do matter if you want to prove that Korea has no historical claim to Dokdo. As for Japan taking back the rocks, they may just do that someday. Afterall, the Korean peninsula used to belong to Japan.

What does not really matter is Korea’s occupation of the rocks since the rocks cannot be used to determine an economic zone. As it is now, Korea is putting more money into those rocks then they are getting out of them.

Whether Korea gives up the rocks or not, Korea’s reputation will be greatly damaged when her lies about Dokdo are exposed. Many in the world will assume that if Korea can lie about Dokdo, then she can also be lying about the rest of her history, including her colonial history. The word of a South Korean historian may even drop in value to that of a North Korean historian. And that will matter a great deal.

Frogmouth wrote:

1. Japan says Dokdo was a part of Japan since ancient times. This is rubbish. Japan either excluded the islets as part of Japan or mapped/documented them as Korean.

It is not rubbish. Japan claims that in 1618, the Oya and Murakawa families of Yonago in the Tottori domain were authorized by the Shogunate to travel to and fish Takeshima (Ulleungdo). They also stopped at and fished Matsushima (Dokdo), which was on the way to Takeshima. The Japanese have both documentary and map evidence to back up their claim.

The Japanese map of Matushima (Dokdo) shown HERE is believed to have been made sometime around 1656. The Japanese map of both Takeshima (Ulleungdo) and Matsushima (Dokdo) shown HERE was made around 1696. At the time, the Japanese considered both Ulleungdo and Dokdo to be Japanese territory, which was why Japan accused Korean fishermen of transpassing on Ulleungdo. In January 1696, the Shogunate banned travel to Ulleungdo, essentially recognizing it as Korean territory. Travel to Matsushima (Dokdo) was not banned since it was not considered a part of the dispute. In fact, An Yong-bok had not yet made the claim that Usando was Matsushima.

Travel to Matsushima (Dokdo) was not banned until 1836 (HERE), not because it was considered Korean territory, but because a Japanese fisherman had used a trip to Matsushima as a ruse to travel on to Takeshima (Ulleungdo). Even though Japanese were banned from travelling to Matsushima (Dokdo) in 1836, the Japanese still considered it to be Japanese territory, as is evidenced in this 1878 letter written by Watanabe Kouki (渡辺洪基), who was the Director of the Bureau of Documents in Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Here is a portion of the letter:

Concerning Matsushima

There are several brief descriptions of Takeshima (Ulleungdo) in past records, but there are no discussions of Matsushima. However, these days people are talking a great deal about Matsushima. There are various views. Some say that it is two islands, and some say that it is one island with two names, but I have not heard that it has been decided either way.

The (mentioned) “Takeshima” is considered to be Chosun’s Ulleungdo, which the Shogunate ended up entrusting to them (Koreans) as a convenient quick fix, without considering future implications. Therefore, if the “Matsushima” being talked about here is Takeshima (Ulleungdo), then it belongs to them. If the Matsushima is not Takeshima, then it must belong to Japan. It is still inconclusive.

(continued)

Many records say that “Argonaut,” which is the Western name for Takeshima (Ulleungdo), does not exist, and that “Dagelet,” which refers to Matsushima, is actually Takeshima (Ulleungdo). So what we call “Matsushima” (Liancourt Rocks) is called “Hornet Rocks” by Westerners. Foreign maps show Hornet Rocks to be Japanese territory, but there is still no agreement among countries concerning the other two islands.

At the time, there were Japanese petitions to develop an island called “Matsushima,” but because of a mismapping of Ulleungdo by a British ship, there were two islands being referred to as Matsushima. Some Japanese believed the mismapped Ulleungdo (Argonaut)to be Korea’s Ulleungdo and the real Ulleungdo to be Japan’s Matsushima. Without knowing for sure which island Matsushima was referring to, the petition to develop the island was rejected.

It was not until 1880 that the Japanese Warship Amagi determined that the Matsushima that had been referred to a few years earlier was actually Ulleungdo and that Ulleungdo had a small neighboring island named Jukdo (Takeshima). The discovery caused the Japanese to rename Ulleungdo as “Matsushima” and the old Matsushima (Dokdo) as “Liancourt Rocks.” In 1905, Liancourt Rocks was renamed “Takeshima” when it was incorporated as part of Japan’s Shimane Prefecture. Ulleungdo’s neighboring island of “Jukdo” (竹島) and Japan’s “Takeshima” (Liancourt Rocks) were both written with the same Chinese characters.

Korea has no old maps or documents showing that Koreans ever traveled to Liancourt Rocks before the Japanese started taking them there on Japanese fishing boats in the early 1900s. In fact, when Koreans first started going to Liancourt Rocks, they used the Japanese name for the islets.

Frogmouth wrote:

2. Japan’s MOFA (and not surprisingly you) say Dokdo was annexed because Japan as a nation felt an urgent need to support the bid of a grubby squatter (Nakai Yozaburo) on Korea’s Ullengdo to wack seals.

Here is the link to the September 29, 1904 Petition to Incorporate Liancourt Rocks by Japanese businessman Nakai Yozaburo (中井養三郞).

Frogmouth wrote:

3. Japan (and you) say the Japan Peace Treaty’s terms grant sovereignty of Takeshima to the Japanese. Again this is nonsense. The U.S. one of 48 nations involved, unofficially supported Japan, but others didn’t. However there is absolutely no mention of the islets in the Japan Peace Treaty.

The reason that Takeshima (Dokdo) was not mentioned in the peace treaty was that the treaty referred to only the islands that Japan was to give up owership. Here is the relevant passage from Article 2 of the treaty:

(a) Japan recognizing the independence of Korea, renounces all right, title and claim to Korea, including the islands of Quelpart, Port Hamilton and Dagelet.

Here is what US Special Mission Ambassador James Van Fleet wrote in his mission report after returning from the Far East in 1954:

The Island of Dokto (otherwise called Liancourt and TakeShima) is in the Sea of Japan approximately midway between Korea and Honshu(131.80E, 36.20N). This Island is, in fact, only a group of barren, uninhabited rocks. When the Treaty of Peace with Japan was being drafted, the Republic of Korea asserted its claims to Dokto but the United States concluded that they remained under Japanese sovereignty and the Island was not included among the
Islands that Japan released from its ownership under the Peace Treaty. The Republic of Korea has been confidentially informed of the United States position
regarding the islands but our position has not been made public. Though the United States considers that the islands are Japanese territory, we have declined to interfere in the dispute. Our position has been that the dispute might properly be referred to the International Court of Justice and this suggestion has been informally conveyed to the Republic of Korea.

Your claims, Frogmouth, are what are rubbish.

Frogmouth wrote:

Japan clearly excluded BOTH Ulleungdo and Dokdo from her territory in 1695.

The Shogun only prohibited travel to Takeshima (Ulleungdo), not Matsushima (Dokdo). Here is a translation of the January 28, 1696 order:

Years before, while Matsudaira Shintaro reigned Inshu and Hakushu, merchants from Yonago in Hakushu, Ichibee Murakawa and Oya Jinkichi, went to Takeshima (Ulleungdo) to fish and continue to do so today. We have heard that the Shogun (Tokugawa Tsunayoshi) now prohibits voyages to Takeshima. His intention must be kept in mind. We humbly convey this to you.

28th day of January (1696)

Tsuchiya Sagaminokami
Toda Yamakinokami
Abe Bungonokami
Okubo kaganokami

Frogmouth wrote:

Gerry, there were many drafts of the Japan Peace Treaty. The first five stated Korea was granted Dokdo, others ceded the islets to Japan and finally Dokdo was left out of the San Fancisco Peace Treaty altogether.

The only version of the treaty that matters is the signed final version, and the reason the final version excluded “Dokdo” was that it only mentioned the islands that Japan was to give up ownership.

Frogmouth wrote:

Korea has records showing they were fully aware of the islets hundreds of years before Japan’s Navy annexed the islets during the Russo Japanese War. Also, Korean documents show the existence of Dokdo was common knowledge to Korea’s coastal residents.

In all the history of Korean before Japan incorporated Liancourt Rocks in 1905, there were only two vague references to an island that was probably Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo). The first reference was in a 1694 inspection report of Ulleungdo inspector Jang Han-sang (張漢相). Here is the relevant part of the report:

About five ri to the east is one small island. It is not very big or very high, and it has a grove of haejang bamboo (海長竹) growing thickly on one side. On a day the rain clouds cleared and the fog settled, we went into the mountains and climbed the central peak. Two tall mountains to the north and south were facing us. This was the so-called Sambong (三峯 – “Three Peaks”). The winding shape of Daegwanryeon (大關嶺 – mountain range on the east coast of the Korean peninsula) was visible to the west. Looking toward the east, there was one island far off to the southeast. The size was only about one-third of Ulleungdo. It was only about 300 ri [120 kilometers] away.

Notice that Jang said he saw an island far off to the southeast of Ulleungdo that looked to be about 120 kilometers away and one-third the size of Ulleungdo. We know that Jang did not travel to the island since Liancourt Rocks is actually about ninety-two kilometers from Ulleungdo and about 390 times smaller than Ulleungdo, not one-third smaller.

Notice that the report also said that there was a small island two kilometers east of Ulleungdo that had haejang bamboo (海長竹 – 해장죽) on one side. That was a reference to Ulleungdo’s neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島 – 죽도), which is about two kilometers off Ulleungdo’s east shore. Though Jang did not name the island in his report, a map made during a 1711 inspection of Ulleungdo labeled the small island as “Usando” (于山島 – 우산도). The 1711 map also said the island had “fields of haejang bamboo” (海長竹田 – 해장죽전).

Koreans claim that Usando was the old Korean name for Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo) and that references to Usando in old Korean documents and on old Korean maps are proof of Korea’s historic claim to the rocks; however, Korea’s old documents and maps show that Usando was just the old name for Ulleungdo’s neighboring island of Jukdo, not Liancourt Rocks. For example, compare the location and shape of Ulleungdo’s neighboring island of Jukdo in this satellite photo with the location and shape of “Usan” (于山) on this 1834 Korean Map of Ulleungdo The hash marks along the edge of the 1834 map represent 4-kilometer segments.

The second and final vague reference in Korean history to an island that was probably Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo) was in a July 22, 1714 report on the neglect of coastal defenses in the Gangwon Province region. In the report, Gangwon Provincial emissary Jo Seok-myeong (趙錫命) was warning of the danger of a possible attack from the direction of Ulleungdo. He said he had talked to Korean fishermen on the coast of Gangwon province who told him that there was an island visible to the east of Ulleungdo that was on the Japanese border. Here is the 1714 report:

Gangwon Provincial emissary Jo Seok-myeong (趙錫命) discussed the neglected coastal defenses in the Yeongdong region. Here is a summary:

I listened carefully to the people in the ports (浦人) who said, “Pyeonghae (平海) and Uljin (蔚珍) are closest to Ulleungdo, and there are no obstructions along the sea route.

Visible to the east of Ulleung is an island that is on the border of Japan.” In 1708 and 1712, strange-looking ships drifted to the borders of Goseong (高城) and Ganseong (杆城), so we know that Japanese ships frequently come and go. The government, however, says that the vast sea is a barrier, so there is no need to worry, but how can we be sure that a future war will not break out in the Yeongdong region instead of the Yeongnam region? We cannot allow even a little delay in taking measures to be thoroughly prepared.

In accordance with the request, the Myodang (廟堂) requested that Gangwondo be reprimanded to cracked down on its military officials.

Notice the part of the report that says, “Visible to the east of Ulleung is an island that is on the border of Japan.” Here is the original Chinese for that sentence from the report:

鬱陵之東 島嶼相望 接于倭境

鬱陵之東 (울릉지동) To the east of Ulleung
島嶼相望 (도서상망) an island (or islands) is visible
接于倭境 (접우왜경) that touches (接) to (于) the Japanese border (倭境)

The fact that they said that an island was “visible” from Ulleungdo suggests that they only saw the island but did not travel to it. Also, they probably noticed that Japanese ships would come to Ulleungdo from the direction of the island and assumed that it represented the Japanese border. The Korean emissary seemed to want to use this quote to show how close Japan was to Korea, which he considered a danger.

The above two references to an island “southeast” and “east” of Ulleungdo are the only two references in Korean history that suggest Koreans could see Liancourt Rocks from Ulleungdo, and neither reference suggested that Koreans traveled to the rocks. They had no name for the rocks and there are no Korean maps showing them.

Frogmouth, to suggest that Korea was “fully aware” of Liancourt Rocks hundreds of years before Japan annexed them is an exaggeration, at best. Liancourt Rocks are only visible from the peaks of Ulleungdo during special weather conditions that occur only a few days a year during certain seasons and at certain times of the day. That is most likely the main reason why possible references to Liancourt Rocks occurred only twice in Korean history and why Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo) never appeared on any Korean maps.

Stop confusing Ulleungdo for Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo).