1907 - "Chodeung Daehan Jiji" (初等大韓地誌)

The book pictured on the left was a Korean geography book entitled, "Chodeung Daehan Jiji," (初等大韓地誌 - 초등대한지지), which translates as "Elementary Level Geography of the Korean Empire." It was written by An Jong-hwa (安鍾和) and Yu Geun (柳瑾) and published in November 1907 as an elementary school geography book. It is stored in the National Libarary of Korea.

The book has only forty-three pages that are divided into twenty-four chapters. The first chapter is entitled "Location & Boundaries" and gives the location of Korea in relation to its neighbors in East Asia. It then gives the north-south, east-west latitudes and longitudes of the farthermost points of Korea, and then lists the names of those points. Korea's easternmost point was described as the island of Ulleungdo in Uldo County of North Gyeongsang Province (慶尙北道 鬱島郡 鬱陵島 -경상북도 울도군 울릉도).
 

Korea claims that Liancourt Rocks were a part of Uldo County (鬱島郡 - 울도군) and were referred to as "Seokdo" (石島 - 석도), but they have no evidence to support their claim. Moveover, the longitude given for Korea's easternmost point in the above geography book excludes Liancourt Rocks from Korean territory. Also, it lists the island of Ulleungdo in Uldo County as being Korea's easternmost point. If Liancourt Rocks had really been a part of Uldo County, then they would have been listed it as Korea's easternmost point. The fact that they were not listed is more evidence against the Korean claim.
 

The geography book also mentioned the island of Ulleungdo in more detail in Chapter Twenty-two, which was entitled "Scenic Communities" (勝地 都會 - 승지 도회). The description gave the longitude of Ulleungdo as extending from 130 degrees 35 minutes to 130 degrees 45 minutes, but Ulleungdo, including its neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島 - 죽도), actually extends from approximately 130 degrees 47 minutes to 130 degrees 57 minutes. This suggests that the longitude given for Ulleungdo in this chapter was an older, less accurate measurement than the one in Chapter One, which described Ulleungdo's eastern boundary as being at 130 degrees 58 minutes. The description in Chapter 22 also mixed up the names for latitude and longitude.
 

Ulleungdo was also described in Chapter Twenty-two as having an island named "Usando" (于山島 - 우산도) to the southeast, but no distance was given. Liancourt Rocks is ninety-two kilometers to the southeast of Ulleungdo at a longitude of 131 degrees 52 minutes, which is way outside the boundary the book gave for both Ulleungdo and for Korea's easternmost point.
 

It is possible the Usando mentioned in the geography book was referring to Liancourt Rocks (Dokdo), but it is also possible that it was referring to Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島 - 죽도). Usando was the old Korean name for Jukdo, which is about about 2.2 kilometers off the east shore of Ulleungdo. Actually, by 1907, Koreans on Ulleungdo were supposedly referring to Liancourt Rocks as "Dokdo" (獨島 - 독도) or by the Japanese name of "Yangko-do," while the original location of Usando had already been forgotten. (See "Location of Usando Unknown in Early 1900s.")
 

The following is my English translation of the relevant passages from the 1907 geography book. It is followed by the Korean text.

Chapter 1: Location and Boundaries
 
The Korean Empire is located in the eastern part of Asia. Its neighbor to the southeast is Japan, and it borders Russian territory on the northeast. The west and north border Manchuria, and the southern border faces faces the sea. Its northern latitude stretches from 33 degrees 13 minutes to 43 degrees 2 minutes. Its eastern longitude stretches from 125 degrees 50 minutes to 130 degrees 58 minutes. The eastern point is Ulleungdo in Uldo County of North Gyeongsang Province, and the western point is at Cape Jangsan in Jangyeong County in Hwanghae Province. The the southern point is Port Moseul on the island of Jeju in South Jolla Province, and the northern point is Tomun River in North Hamgyeong Province. The area is 82,000 square ri.

Chapter 22: Scenic Communities

Uldo is the old Ulleungdo. Its northern latitude stretches from 130 degrees 45 minutes to 35 minutes. It’s eastern longitude stretches from 37 degrees 34 minutes to 31 minutes. Three peaks prop up the sky. Its area is about 504 square ri. It produces many medical herbs and much timber. Usando is southeast of here.
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第一課 : 位置와 境界

大韓帝國의 位置는 亞細亞洲의 東部에 在하니 其境界는 同南은 日本을 鄰하고 東北은 俄領과 接하고 西와 北은 滿洲를 界하고 南은 海를 臨하니 北緯三十三度十三分에 越하야 四十三度二分에 止하고 東經一百二十五度五十分에 越하야 百三十度 五十八分에 止하니 東은 慶尙北道 鬱島郡 鬱陵島이오 西는 黃海道長淵郡 長山串이오 南은 全羅南道 濟州島 毛瑟浦 [摹瑟浦]오 北은 咸鏡北道 土門江이니 面積이 八萬二千方里니라.

第二十二課 : 勝地 都會

鬱嶋는 古鬱陵島이니 北緯 一百三十度 四十五分으로 三十五分에 至하며 東經三十七度 三十四分으로 三十一分에 지하니 三峯이 撑空하야 地方이 約 五百四方里오 藥材와 森林이 多産하며 于山嶋는 其東南에 在하니라.