Award Winning Works of 5th Int'l Essay Contest on Dokdo Prize

Dokdo is the symbol of Korean sovereignty

Heo Ji-seung This writer is a graduate student at Seoul National Univ. Law School.

'Eighty kms southeast from UllengDo, there is a lonely island for seabirds, Even if whoever claims it their land, Dokdo is Korean land'. This is a song titled 'Dokdo is our Land' by Jung Gwang-tae. It is so familiar that every Korean, even a child, knows and enjoys this song. It is easy and enchanting, but the message that conveys is quite clear. Dokdo is ours.

The first Korean historical record of Dokdo dates back to year 512. In Samguk Sagi (The Chronicles of the Three States), it states that the general of Silla Sabu Lee conquered Usanguk. Usanguk is the country consisted of Usan and Ulleng, and Usan is another name for Dokdo in the past. From this record, we can find lots of traces of Dokdo from other public documents. 'Mureung (Ulleng) and Usan, Close Enough to See Each Other when it is Sunny' is another recorded document found in the geographic documents during the chronicles of King Sejong in 1492.

The story of Yongbok Ahn is especially impressive. He was a Korean fisherman of UllengDo. One day a Japanese fisherman visiting UllengDo kidnapped him and it broke out as a dispute about the jurisdiction of UllengDo. In this process, Edo Shogunate asked Tottori about the jurisdiction of UllengDo and other islands. Tottori officially answered that there is no island belonging to Tottori in 1695, including UllengDo and Dokdo. According to this confirmation, Japan banned its people from visiting UllengDo, but when other Japanese fishermen entered UllengDo again in 1696, Yongbok Ahn informed them that Dokdo is Korean land. He then spontaneously went to Japan to protest against the Japanese entering again to the general public. This event can also be easily found even in Japanese documents. There is actually no evidence that can be found stating that Dokdo is Japanese land. Japan's the strongest evidence is the San Francisco Treaty in 1951. Japan lobbied to make sure the word 'Dokdo' is not written in the treaty and it was successful. The islands of Quelpart, Port Hamilton and Dagelet were all mentioned directly in the treaty, but including those three islands, there are about 3000 other islands belonging to Korea, although they were not written in the treaty. Without doubt, all these lands belong to Korea.

Aside from this, there are other valid and precise treaties or agreements about the jurisdiction. The Cairo Declaration in 1943 said that 'Japan will also be confiscated of its ownership over all other territories, which it has taken by violence and greed'. The Supreme Command for Allied Powers Instruction Note (SCAPIN) in 1946 stated that Japan is defined to exclude Ulleung island, Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo) and Quelpart (Jeju) island, and that 'Japanese vessels or personnel thereof will not approach closer than 12 miles to Takeshima (Dokdo) nor have any contact with the indicated island.'

Even though there had been a long colonial period of Japan taking a lot of historical records from Korea during that time, but there is no evidence that Dokdo is Japanese land. On the contrary Japan has a lot of clear evidence that Dokdo never belonged to them. There is a document saying that Takeshima is foreign territory in 1466, and a map showing Dokdo colored identically to the color of the Korean territory but differently from the Japanese territory. Taejeonggwan record is also precise. This is the record that Taejeonggwan, a Japanese administrative, answered that Ulleng and Dokdo is not Japanese territory, when the Japanese home ministry asked whether Ulleng and Dokdo should be included in a territorial registration of Japan. The nation also did not protest nor react when Emperor Gojong issued an imperial order that Dokdo was under the jurisdiction of Ulleung in 1900.

Then what is the genuine reason behind Japan insisting such a groundless claim? Here is a clear historical record that Japan investigated Dokdo for its military advantages, despite its complete awareness on Korea's ownership over Dokdo. When Japan decided to make Dokdo Japanese territory, there was a Korean governor of Ulleung region, appointed by Korean government, controlling Dokdo. However, all of a sudden one day, Japan visited Dokdo and claimed this land as their territory. It was not based on legal nor historical grounds. It was just an attempt to achieve military and economic advantages.

Japan's claim about the jurisdiction of Dokdo is actually an extension of imperialism. Including this, there are many of historical issues related to Japan's atrocities during its invasion, such as sexual slavery for Japanese army and medical experiments on living bodies. Japan is now trying to simply grab another opportunity to rob yet another piece of territory that belongs to South Korea.

Korea believes that there is no dispute over Dokdo. It is because Koreans have lived with Dokdo from the very beginning and they have never forgotten nor had any doubt even at once about the fact Dokdo is Korean land. What only exists is the truth that Dokdo is Korean indigenous territory and the dark greed of robbery.

Japan has not shown any sign of remorse. On the contrary, Japan distorts their national textbook on purpose and tries to hide the truth. Japan makes an official day of Takeshima and speaks publicly releases outrageous hate speech. Articles about Dokdo appear on newspapers almost everyday, and whenever Koreans witness them, they feel deep anger.

However, the truth cannot be hidden nor disappeared. No matter how they try to distort it, the truth will reveal its face stronger in the end. The Korean government answered with the following statement, when Japan insisted the idea submitting this matter about Dokdo's jurisdiction to International Court of Justice (ICJ), and this is also what I want to conclude my essay with.

'The Japanese government's proposal is just another false attempt that are disguised as judicial procedures. Korea has the jurisdiction of Dokdo, and there is no reason to prove this right to the ICJ. Japan's unreasonable and persistent claim about Dokdo makes Koreans worry over Japan's attempt to invade once again. To Koreans, Dokdo is not just a small island in East Sea, but the symbol of Korean sovereignty'.