1913 Jun 22 - "Maeil Shinbo" (每日申報) Article Reports Location of Usando Unknown in early 1900s

Below is a June 22, 1913 article from the Korean newspaper Maeil Shinbo (每日申報), which reported that Ulleungdo resident, Kim Won-jun (金元俊), had ended his search for the uninhabited island of "Gansando" (干山嶋), which was almost certainly a misspelling of "Usando" (于山島). He believed the island to be forty to fifty ri northeast of Ulleungdo. Forty to fifty ri would have beeen about 160 to 200 Kilometers using the Japanese ri, which was the measure adopted by Korea in 1909. If the Korean ri were being used, it would have been sixteen to twenty kilometers.

The article also said that Koreans on Ulleungdo had gotten together more than a decade earlier to search for the island, but could not find it.

This article is more evidence that Usando was not Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo/Takeshima) since Koreans on Ulleungdo would have known of Liancourt Rocks by 1913, yet they did not believe them to be the island of Usando. In fact, they believed that Usando was an uninhabited island northeast of Ulleungdo that was big enough to support a community of settlers. Liancourt Rocks, however, is ninety-two kilometers southeast of Ulleungdo and does not have the water or soil to support settlers.

Old Korean documents and maps indicate that Usando was the old name for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島), which is about 2.2 kilometers off Ulleungdo's northeast shore. Apparently, the residents of Ulleungdo in the early 1900s had forgotten the old name.



Here is what I was able to read from the article. If anyone finds any mistakes or can fill in some of the blanks, please let me know.

無人嶋探險中止
慶南鬱島郡 西面 金元俊은 鬱島로부터 東北方 約 4, 50里를 距하야 位置를 定한 干山嶋라하는 無人嶋가 有하다 한 즉 此를 發見하면 團體로 移住할 計劃인던 贊成者를 募集하고 其費用이 每人에 대하야 金 四 圓式 醵金하야 約 百圓으로 帆船을 雇入한 後 三名의 乗組를 探索하기로 出發할 事를 決定하야 贊成者가 三十名에 達하였더니 右 干山島는 其實在의 傳說이 有하나 曾히 十數年前 同地內 鮮人의 聯合으로 射船을 雇入하야 探索하였으나 發見치 못할 뿐 안니라 近年에 海航路가 頻繁하여도 아즉 此를 現認하였다는 事가 無하고 又 海圖에도 現한 者 無한 즉 假令 存在하다 할지라도 此를 發見함은 容易한 事가 아니오 反히 無益한 費用을 消費함에 不過하겠다고 中止하였다더라.
Search for Uninhabited Island Abandoned
Kim Won-jun, of Seo Myeon in Gyeongnam's Uldo County [Ulleungdo], had said that an uninhabited island called "Gansando" (干山島) was located about forty to fifty ri northeast of Uldo and that if he discovered it, he planned to gather together a group of like-minded people and move to the island. He had decided to collect four won from each person to hire a boat for about 100 won. Then they would find three crewmen and depart. He had already gathered together thirty like-minded people.
He said that there is a legend that Gansando (干山島) really does exist, but already more than a decade ago, Koreans on Ulleungdo, who had joined together to hire a boat to search for the island, could not find it. Not only that, despite numerous voyages in recent years, the island has still not been found, and it does not appear on any navigational charts. He said that even if the island exists, it would not be easy to find, and a search for it would been nothing but a fruitless, waste of money, so he has abandoned it.

HERE is a link to a Japanese blog that talks about the article.