Examples of Distortions

US: Encyclopedia of the UN and International Relations, Taylor and Francis, 1992.
Japan: Middle School Social Studies, Geography, Gakko-tosho Publishers, 1994, map on page 112.

Comment

Dokdo is a small rocky island in the middle of the East Sea at north latitude 37° 14’ 18” and east longitude 131° 59’ 22”.  It is located about 49 nautical miles from Ulleungdo which is Korean territory and 86 nautical miles from Japanese island of Okishima.

From the 15^th century, during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910), the island was called Usando, and the name was changed to Dokdo in 1883.

Until the early sixth century, Dokdo and Ulleungdo were called Usan-guk (The country of Usan).  Usan-guk was incorporated into the Silla Kingdom (57 B.C-A.D. 935) in 512, the 13^th year of the monarch, Jijeungwang (r. 500-514).  Since this time it has been Korean territory.  This is confirmed by an entry in the Samguksagi (History of the three Kingdoms) published in 1145.

In addition, many other ancient records and documents, such as the Sejong Sillok Jiriji (Geographical Appendix to the Veritable Records of King Sejong) published in 1432, the Goryeosa Jiriji (Geographical Appendix to the History of Goryeo), published in the mid-15^th century and the Sukjong Sillok (Veritable Record of King Sukjong), among others, state that Usando (Dokdo) became part of the territory of the Silla Kingdom.  Thus, from 512 until the present, Dokdo has been an integral part of Korean territory.

The first ancient Japanese record which mentions Dokdo is the Onshu shicho goki (What Was Seen or Heard About Onshu) published in 1667.  What is significant about this document is that it states that Dokdo and Ulleungdo are part of the territory of the Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392) and that the island of Okishima is japan’s farthest northwestern border.  Thus, even the very first Japanese record which mentions Dokdo acknowledges that it is Korean territory.

The Sankoku setsujo chizu (A Territorial Map of Three Nations), made by the famous Japanese scholar Kohei Hayashi in 1785, indicated the territory of Korea and Japan in different colors so as to clearly show the borders between the two countries.  On this map, Joseon was depicted in yellow and Japan in green.  Ulleungdo and Dokdo which were accurately located were colored yellow, indicating that they were part of Joseon territory.  Moreover, there was writing next to the two islands stating that they are Joseon territory.  All the Japanese Army and Navy maps during the Meiji Government period repeated confirmed that the two islands were a part of Joseon territory.

During the Japanese occupation of Korea, Dokdo became Japanese territory, as did all of Korea.  With Japan’s unconditional surrender on August 15, 1945, Korea was liberated from Japan.  In “SCAPIN-677, Governmental and Administrative Separation of Certain Outlying Areas from Japan” which was Annex I to Directive (No. 677) of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers to the Japanese Government to Implement the Instrument of Surrender and which was dated January 29, 1946, Dokdo was acknowledged as being excluded from Japanese territory and thus as Korean territory.  In addition, on June 22, 1946, in order No. 1033, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers prohibited the entry of Japanese fishing ships and other ships within 12 nautical miles of Dokdo.  As a result, Dokdo was completely reclaimed as Korean territory.

In a diplomatic document dated January 28, 1952 and sent to the Republic of Korea in protest against the proclamation of the Peace Line, Japan began claiming ownership of Dokdo. This was the beginning of the dispute with Japan over the ownership of Dokdo.

All documents and records unequivocally prove that Dokdo has been Korean territory since 512.  For this reason, the Korean Government does not recognize that Dokdo is an area in dispute.  Japan lacks any evidence for its claim because it is completely unfounded.  Therefore from a historical perspective and in international law, there is no valid dispute over the ownership of Dokdo; it is clearly Korean territory.