Award Winning Works of 4th Int’l Essay Contest on Dokdo Silver Prize

The islets are ours

Silver Prize Kim Mi-na The writer is a first-year student in Namsan Middle School of Changwon who hopes to work to promote world peace by working for the U.N.

How many Korean people would know that the name “Dokdo” was really created by Japan? Interestingly, Kang Jun-sik, in his book “The Truth of Dokdo,” points out that the name “Dokdo” was first used by Japanese navy sources. Japan pointed out that Korea actually first named the island “Dok-sum.” This however, is the only truth that I would accept from the Japanese government regarding the Dokdo issue. Their central claim that Dokdo is their territory is obviously wrong. They have spent vast amounts of money on their “quiet diplomacy” : making new maps which label Dokdo as their land and distributing these maps to other nations. Then, what has South Korea done? Not enough. This is like leaving the issue in a drawer and wrapping it upas “quiet diplomacy.” Thousands of Koreans march on the streets every year proclaiming “Dokdo is ours!” But, many of them fail to give a detailed and logical explanation as to why this is true.

The first truth about Dokdo is that there is neither Dokdo nor Takeshima on the Japanese map. There is no Dokdo on any official map of Japan. Rather, there are maps in which Japan has colored Dokdo the same color as Korea. Evidently, Japan has acknowledged Dokdo as part of Korean territory.

The second truth is that Usando is Dokdo. In depth, Japan states that Usando on Korean maps is actually Jookdo. However, there are peaks drawn on Usando, while Jookdo has no peaks. So, Usando is clearly Dokdo.

The third truth is that there are references to Dokdo as Korean territory in Japanese archives. In 1870, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan reported to the government that “Ulleungdo and Dokdo were Korean territory.” In 1877, the most powerful authorities of the time conveyed to the home office that Ulleungdo and Dokdo were not Japanese territory.

The fourth truth would be that the incorporation of Dokdo by Japan is invalid. The Japanese government originally defined Dokdo as unnamed and uninhabited; they then claimed Dokdo as their island. However, Dokdo was definitely named. Japan deceived the world by pretending that Dokdo was a newly – found islet. We could not protest at that time because we were under Japanese rule.

The fifth truth is that the San Francisco Peace Treaty clearly stated thatDokdo was Korean territory. The order SCAPIN 677 described Dokdo as Korean territory. When Japan surrendered at the end of World War II, they received a command stating that Dokdo was Korean land.
The sixth truth would be the fact that the U.S.’s “Lusk Letter,” which stated in 1951 that Dokdo was Japanese territory, is void. This letter is the main evidence the Japanese give for their claim over Dokdo. The document was not disclosed even to the Allies. It was only the opinion of the U.S. It is therefore inherently invalid.

The seventh truth is that An Yong-bok received recognition that Ulleungdo and Dokdo were Korean territory. When the fisherman was kidnapped and taken to Japan, he bravely declared Korea’s sovereignty over Ulleungdo and Dokdo. The Japanese Edo feudal government acknowledged this andreported to the central government of Japan that the two islands were clearly not Japanese islands.

The eighth truth is that Dokdo cannot be seen with the naked eye fromthe closest of Japanese islets. Significantly however, Dokdo can be visualized from Ulleungdo, and not only on clear days. From Oki Island, the closest of the Japanese islands, it is impossible to see Dokdo.

The ninth truth is that Dokdo has a Korean zip code. The postal codegranted to Dokdo on Jan. 1, 2003 is 799-805.

The tenth truth is that there are currently 52 Korean people living onDokdo. The first person ever to live on Dokdo was there from 1965 to his death. There are 531 Korean people who are listed as residents but don’t actually live there due to the family register. Also, the Dokdo islet guardsand lighthouse keepers are Korean and live on Dokdo.

Without a doubt, Dokdo belongs to South Korea. I have given 10 truthsthat prove that Dokdo is historically, geographically, and under interna-tional law, Korean territory. We should be interested in Dokdo and participate altogether in campaigns to protect our island. Korea should create a national commitment to protect Dokdo and to reinforce effective control over it. We should know what ground Japan has against us and the international community to take full sovereignty over Dokdo. Most importantly, we shouldn’t become emotional by the false and inflammatory claims from Japan. We must respond calmly and logically. In short, effortsto advertise the fact that Dokdo is our territory to the international community should be continued. It is never too late.