1457 Apr 16 - "The two islands of Usando and Muleungdo are suitable for settlements."

The following April 16, 1457 record from the "Annals of King Sejo" (世祖實錄 - 세조실록) describes a request to the king from a former Gangneung magistrate to establish settlements on the "two islands of Usan and Muleung" (牛山茂陵兩島 - 우산, 무릉 양도), which he said were suitable for settlement. That means that "both islands" (兩島 - 양도) had the plants and soil needed to support farming, which means that neither of the islands was Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks) since Dokdo is just barren rocks without the soil and plant life needed to support a settlement.

The king turned down the request to settle the islands, but he also said he would not evict those temporarily living on "the two islands." Again, this is more evidence that neither Usando nor Muleungdo was Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks), and it is also evidence that the two islands were close enough to each other to be thought of as a single 2-island group since only one island was described.

Source: "Annals of King Sejo," Volume Seven

April 16, 1457

初前中樞院副使柳守剛 上書言 臣嘗任江陵府 於嶺東防禦之事 耳聞目擊 謹條陳 ....

一 江陵人言 牛山茂陵兩島 可以設邑 其物産之富 財用之饒 如楮木苧桑大竹海竹魚膠木冬栢木栢子木梨木柿木鴉鶻黑色山鳩 海衣鰒魚文魚海獺等物 無不有之 土地膏腴 禾穀十倍他地 東西南北 相距各五十餘里 可以居民 四面險阻 壁立千仞 而亦有泊船處 水路則自三陟距島 西風直吹 則丑時發船亥時到泊 風微用櫓 則一晝一夜可到 無風用櫓 亦二日一夜可到 伏望設縣邑擇人守之 命兵曹議之 兵曹啓....

第四條 牛山茂陵兩島縣邑設置事 兩島水路險遠 徃來甚難 海中孤島設邑 持守亦難 其上項條件 幷勿擧行 但本道人民 不無流寓兩島之弊 請待風和時 遣朝官刷還 其塡沙諸浦內兵船 專未出入處 令其道觀察使 審度移泊處以啓 從之 但兩島流寓者 勿令刷還

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처음에 전 중추원 부사(中樞院副使) 유수강(柳守剛)이 상서(上書)하여 말하기를, “신(臣)은 일찍이 강릉 부사(江陵府使)로 재임(在任)했을 때 영동(嶺東)을 방어(防禦)하는 일에 관하여 귀로 듣고 눈으로 본 것을 삼가 조목별로 아뢰겠습니다....

1. 강릉(江陵) 사람들의 말에, ‘우산도(牛山島)와 무릉도(茂陵島)의 두 섬에는 읍(邑)을 설치할 만하니, 그 물산(物産)의 풍부함과 재용(財用)의 넉넉함은, 저목(楮木)·저상(苧桑)·대죽(大竹)·해죽(海竹)·어교목(魚膠木)·동백목(冬栢木)·백자목(栢子木)·이목(梨木)·시목(柹木)과, 아골(鴉鶻)·흑색 산구(黑色山鳩)·해의(海衣)·복어(鰒魚)·문어(文魚)·해달(海獺) 등의 물건이 있지 않은 것이 없으며, 토지가 비옥하여 화곡(禾穀)의 생산이 다른 지방보다 10배나 된다. 동·서·남·북의 거리가 각각 50여 리(里)나 되니 백성이 거주할 수가 있으며, 사면(四面)이 험조(險阻)하여 절벽(絶壁)이 천 길이나 서 있는데도 또한 배를 정박(停泊)할 곳이 있다. 수로(水路)는 삼척(三陟)에서 섬에 이르는 데 서풍(西風)이 곧바로 불어온다면 축시(丑時)에 배가 출발하여 해시(亥時)에 도착할 수가 있지만, 바람이 살살 불어도 노(櫓)를 사용한다면 하루 낮 하루 밤에 도착할 수가 있으며, 바람이 없어도 노를 사용한다면 또한 두 낮 하루 밤이면 도착할 수가 있다고 하니, 엎드려 바라건대 현읍(縣邑)을 설치하여 사람을 골라서 이를 지키게 하소서라고 하니,

임금이 병조(兵曹)에 명하여 이를 의논하게 하였다. 병조(兵曹)에서 아뢰기를,....

제4조 우산도(牛山島)와 무릉도(茂陵島)의 두 섬에 현읍(縣邑)을 설치하는 일은 두 섬이 수로(水路)가 험하고 멀어서 왕래하기가 매우 어려우며, 바다 가운데의 고도(孤島)에 읍(邑)을 설치하면 지키기도 또한 어렵습니다.위의 조건(條件)을 아울러 거행(擧行)하지 마소서. 다만 본도(本道)의 인민(人民)이 두 섬에 방랑하여 우거(寓居)할 폐단이 없지 않으니, 청컨대 바람이 순할 때를 기다려 조관(朝官)을 보내어 쇄환(刷還)하도록 하고, 그 모래가 메인 여러 포구(浦口)안의 병선(兵船)은 오로지 배가 드나들 수 없는 곳에는 그 도(道)의 관찰사(觀察使)로 하여금 옮겨 정박(停泊)할 곳을 살펴보아서 아뢰게 하소서 라고 하니

임금이 그대로 따랐으나, 다만 두 섬에 유랑하여 우거(寓居)한 사람은 쇄환하지 말게 하였다.

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First, former Jungchuwon Busa Yu Su-gang, wrote, "I will respectfully tell you what I saw and heard while I was the Gangneung Busa...."

1. The people in Gangneung said, "The two islands of Usando and Muleungdo are suitable for settlements. They have an abundance of products that can be used for many things. There is nothing they do not have, including paper mulberry trees, mulberry, ramie, large bamboo, zither stick, "fish glue" trees, camellia, pine nut trees, pear trees, persimmons, Asiatic sparrow hawks, black sparrow hawks, laver, globefish, octopus, and sea otters. "

"The land is so fertile that it produces ten times more grains than other regions. The distances from north-to-south and east-to-west are both about 50 ri, so people can settle there. The four sides of the island are rugged with cliffs that stand 1,000 gil high, but there are places for boats to anchor. If there is a wind blowing directly out of the west, you can leave Samcheok at between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m. and arrive at the island between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m., but if you use your oars with a light wind, then it will take one day and one night to arrive. If you use your oars with no wind, you can still get there in two days and one night." I prostrate myself and beg you to establish settlements and choose people to protect them.

The king ordered the Byeongjo (council) to discuss the matter, and the Byeongjo answered as follows:

Article 4: "Establishing settlements on the two islands of Usando and Muleungdo would be difficult because the sea route is dangerous and travel to and from there would be very difficult. Moveover, it would be very difficult to protect them because it is an isolated island. For the above reasons and others, please do not issue an order (to establish settlements). Instead, since there are people from the province who travel to the island and temporarily live there, we request that we wait for calm winds and then send and official there to forcefully evict them. Please tell the inspector for that province to find places to anchor the military vessels stuck in inlets clogged with sand and move them there."

The king followed the advice, but did not forcefully evict the people travelling to and temporarily living on the two islands.