독도 에세이 콘테스트 수상

Japan’s unreasonable demand that angers Korean people

Choi Joon-woo              joonis333777@naver.com Choi Joon-woo is an English major at Samyook University. He has participated in a number of English essay contests. He won the Grand Prize at the seventh Korea Times English Economic Essay Contest for University Students in 2011.

Japanese lawmakers’ recent attempt to visit Dokdo aroused Korean people’s anger. It was an obvious provocation for three Japanese lawmakers to come to Kimpo Airport, defying the Korean government’s notification of the disapproval of their visit.

Although they left after they were strongly urged to, it seems that they achieved their mission to some degree as they managed to say whatever they wanted within only 9 hours to the public.

The three Japanese lawmakers’ purpose was known to be to make Dokdo a troubled area by provoking Korean people.

It is said that their mission ended up successful as their goal to make it public that Dokdo is Japan’s territory and Korea’s occupation of Dokdo is illegal was achieved through showing the entire process from their arrival to forceful departure in the full glare of publicity.

This move signals that Japan has begun to take more aggressive action with regard to this issue.

The dispute over Dokdo dates back to Syngman Rhee’s administration. In 1952, the Korean government established the so-called “Peace Line” and prohibited Japanese fishing boats from fishing near Dokdo. In response to that, Japan started to insist Dokdo is their territory. Since then, this issue has been one of great obstacles to Korea-Japan relations.

Among many causes of this dispute, one of seemingly most plausible reasons is the San Francisco Peace Treaty. The Korea-Japan conflict over Dokdo is partly due to America’s failure to deal with post-war problems well after the Second World War ended.

SCAP(Supreme Commander of Allied Powers) started working on tasks to return all the territories that were robbed by Japan to their rightful owners in September, 1945. In 1946, SCAP transferred the ownership of the territory to U.S. Armed Forces in Korea.

On June 22 in that year, SCAP made clear that Dokdo is Korean territory, preventing Japanese fishers from fishing within the 12 mile area around Dokdo. After three years of American occupation, the UN acknowledged the sovereignty of Korea after the Korean government was set up on Aug. 15, 1948.

At that time, Dokdo belonged to Korean territory. Then, where did the issue of Dokdo come from? SCAP, which took control of Japan after the defeat of Japan, decided to free Japan in 1952 and before that, concluded a peace treaty with Japan in San Francisco.

The two sides made an agreement on Japanese territory including the issue of Korean territory. According to the agreement, the both sides agreed to return the Korean Peninsula and the surrounding islands to the Republic of Korea.

The islands included Jeju Island, Geomun Island, Ulleungdo, and Dokdo. The first version of the agreement made by America included the provision that states Dokdo belongs to the Republic of Korea.

However, Dokdo was omitted in the sixth version of the San Francisco Peace Treaty due to Japan’s lobby.

Japan tenaciously tried to persuade America, saying if Korea gets the control over Dokdo, the island would become a territory of the Communist camp as Korea would surely be communized.