“Dokdo School” to be opened in March

Korea Times reports that:

The Independence Hall of Korea said Wednesday it will begin an educational program called “Dokdo School” next year after Korea’s easternmost islets that are the subject of a territorial dispute with Japan.

The memorial center, located in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, said the program will be launched on March 1, a national holiday to commemorate Korean resistance to Japanese colonial rule in 1919.

“The purpose of the school is to raise awareness of the sovereignty dispute between the two countries over Dokdo, and to educate people as to why the rocky islets belong to Korea,” said Kim Nung-jin, the president of the Independence Hall.

The target groups for education will be in the beginning, Korean elementary student and later older students and, of course, foreigners.  I did like this:

We have tended to react emotionally with anger whenever conservative Japanese politicians claim sovereignty over Dokdo,” Seo said. “It’s important that we fully understand the historical background of the islets and logically explain that their argument is wrong, and I believe the school will serve such a purpose faithfully.”

The memorial center said the program will continue until Japan stops making “false” claims.

Apparently Google needs to be re-educated. According to Chosun Ilbo (October 25, 2012):

The U.S. version of the web search portal Google has deleted the Korean address of the Dokdo islets from a map at the request of Japan’s Shimane Prefecture. Japan maintains a flimsy claim to Korea’s easternmost islands, dating back to the colonial occupation.

The Tokyo Shimbun on Wednesday said the map used to list Dokdo’s address as “799-800 Ulleung,” referring to the last habitable Korean island, the nearest to Dokdo. The Japanese government in March of this year protested against the Korean address, and Shimane Prefecture, which regards itself as the administrative authority over the Korean islets, demanded the address be changed.

Shimane Prefecture said Google decided not to list the address and stay “neutral.” The map in the Korean-language version will name the islets Dokdo, but the Japanese version will use the imperial-era name Takeshima. A prefecture official hailed the decision and vowed to press the search giant to list a Japanese address for the islets.