Dokdo-or-Takeshima?: 7/1/11

30.7.11

"Korea bans entry of Japanese reps on Ulleung foray"

Korea's Joongang Daily is reporting HERE that Seoul has informed Tokyo that it would ban from entering Korea four Japanese lawmakers planning to visit the Korean island of Ulleungdo and the Dokdo Museum there.

The Korean government said that it was banning the lawmakers because it would be "difficult to guarantee their safety and out of consideration of the influence on bilateral relations." However, I think the real reason for banning the Japanese is that the Korean government knows that the Dokdo Museum is a sham promoting distorted history to which the Korean government does not want the Japanese drawing international attention.

27.7.11

Should Japanese Lawmakers Be Barred from Visiting Dokdo Museum?

I have put up a new survey on the right side of the blog that asks the following question:

Should Japanese lawmakers be barred from visiting Dokdo Museum?

( )Yes
( ) No
( ) I don't know.

Please let me know how you feel.

Korean President Bars Japanese Lawmakers from Korea

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has instructed his government to bar a group of Japanese lawmakers from entering Korea because they wish to visit the Korean island of Ulleungdo and the Dokdo Museum, which is a museum on the island that showcases maps and documents that Koreans say support their claim to Liancourt Rocks, which are called "Dokdo" in Korea and "Takeshima" in Japan. Both Korea and Japan claim sovereignty over the Rocks.

According to a July 27, 2011 article in Korea's Chosun Ilbo entitled "Lee Wants Japanese Lawmakers Barred from Dokdo Mission," the official reason for barring the Japanese is that "Seoul cannot guarantee their safety"; however, the chairman of Korea's Grand National Party (GNP) says they should be banned "because they're coming to deny Korea's constitutional order," whatever that means.

Why would it be dangerous for Japanese lawmakers to visit a Korean museum, and how does it "deny Korea's constitutional order"? Why would Korean authorities not want Japanese lawmakers to visit a museum that purportedly showcases evidence that supports Korea's historical claim to Liancourt Rocks?

The answer to all the above questions is that the Dokdo Museum is not an ordinary museum. It is an propaganda facility constructed to promulgate Korea's fabricated historical claims to Liancourt Rocks. Several of the exhibits there are distorted, childish models designed to brainwash school children and ignorant tourists, not Japanese lawmakers who are familiar with the history. It is pretty obvious that the real reason the Seoul government does not want the Japanese lawmakers visiting the Dokdo museum is that it fears the lawmakers will return to Japan afterwards and expose the blatant historical distortions being promulgated there.
Headlines should read as follows:

"Japanese Lawmakers Denied Entry to Korea for Wanting to Visit Korean Museum"

24.7.11

Why are Koreans afraid of Japanese lawmakers visiting Ulleungdo?

Japanese lawmakers plan to visit the Korean island of Ulleungdo, where they also plan to visit the Dokdo Museum, a museum dedicated to spreading Korea's false territorial claims to the Japanese islets of Takeshima, which Koreans call Dokdo. Koreans have illegally occupied Takeshima since the 1950s, beginning soon after the 1951 Peace Treaty recognized the islets as Japanese territory.

In the photo to the left, Korean protestors rip up a portraint of one of the Japanese lawmakers planning to visit the museum during a rally near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. LINK

I think the reason Koreans are opposed to Japanese lawmakers visiting the museum is that they fear the lawmakers will expose some of the distortions and outrageous claims made at the museum, which is more of a propaganda facility than a real museum. The Korean government seems to be embarrassed by the museum. If Seoul were proud of the museum, then wouldn't the Korean government be encouraging the Japanese to visit the museum rather than discouraging them?

Probably one of the more infamous examples of the distortions at the Dokdo museum is an altered model of a 1530 Korean map. In the original map, an island labeled Usando (于山島 - 우산도) appears off the west coast of Ulleungdo (鬱陵島 - 울릉도), but in the model at the museum, Usando appears off the east coast of Ulleungdo. Koreans claim that Usando was the old name for "Dokdo," but Dokdo is off the east coast of Ulleungdo, so the museum staff apparently switched the location of the island on the model to better support their claim.

A copy of the original map and the altered model at the museum appear below:

20.7.11

"Seoul in Quanary Over Japanese Lawmakers" Planned Visit to Dokdo Museum

In a 19 July 2011 online article entitled "Seoul in Quandary Over Japanese Lawmakers' Dokdo Mission," the Chosun Ilbo reports that "Korean lawmakers were up in arms" on hearing that lawmakers from Japan's Liberal Democratic Party plan to visit Ulleungdo and the "Dokdo Museum" during their visit to Korea next month. The following is an excerpt from the article:

Japanese media reported Friday that the LDP lawmakers plan to visit Korea on Aug. 1-4. They want to meet Korean lawmakers on Aug. 1 and board a ferry to Ulleung the next day, where they plan to spend the night and visit the Dokdo Museum.

Korean lawmakers were up in arms. Special Affairs Minister Lee Jae-oh tweeted, "If their visit aims at supporting their country's groundless territorial claim on Dokdo, it's tantamount to encroachment of Korea's sovereignty. I will use all means to stop them landing on the island."

Doesn't the Dokdo Museum supposedly have evidence that supports Korea's territorial claim over Dokdo? Is seems Korean lawmakers would want Japanese lawmakers to visit the place.

15.7.11

1906 - July 13 - "Daehan Maeil Shinbo" reports on Japanese Resident General Ikeda's Request for Information on Uldo County

On July 13, 1906, the Korean newspaper, Daehan Maeil Sinbo (大韓毎日申報:The Korea Daily News), reported that that the Japanese Resident-General asked the Korean Ministry of Interior to clarify the names of towns and titles of villages and the year/month of establishment of “Uldo County” (鬱島郡面名洞号).

池田公函　

統監府通信管理局長池田十三郎氏가江原道三陟郡으로부터分設한鬱島郡面名洞号와設置何年月을昭詳録交하라고内部에公函하얏다더라

----------------------------------------

Ikeda’s Official Letter

Mr. Ikeda Juzaburo(池田十三郎), chief of the Administrative Bureau of Communications of the Japanese Resident-General, sent Korean Ministry of Interior an official letter of inquiry, asking for the clarification of the names of towns and titles of villages and the year/month of establishment of Uldo County, which was branched out of Samcheok County, Gangwon-do.

----------------------------------------

池田公文書簡

統監府通信管理局長池田十三郎氏が江原道三陟郡から分設した鬱島郡の面の名や洞・号と設置の年月を回答せよと内務部に公文を送ったとのこと。

Note that article says Mr. Ikeda asked about the towns and villages of “Uldo County”, not “Ulleung Island”. As we have already found, the article in the Korean newspaper, Hwangseong Shinmun (皇城新聞) on a same day reported that the Korean ministry replied that the county was established on October 25, 1900, and that the neighboring islands were Jukdo (竹島) and Seokdo (石島), or rocky island Jukdo (竹島石島). The Korean ministry also gave the dimensions of Ulleungdo as sixty ri from east to west and forty ri from north to south for a total of 200 ri. This left “Dokdo” outside of the County, meaning Korean government set Takeshima/Dokdo outside of their territory.

Pro-Korean claim that this dimension is for the solo island of Ulleungdo, not Uldo County, however, it is extremely unnatural to answer the area/dimension of sole island when you are asked about the Uldo County. Moreover, it almost coincides with the areas given by Lee Geon-ha(李乾夏), a Minister of Internal Affairs of Korea, who submitted the petition for the ordinance in the Imperial Edict which made Ulleungdo a County of Gangwon Province (大韓勅令第41号) in 1900. It is apparent that Korean government at the time didn’t even hint that they considered Seokdo(石島) in this Edict was today’s Dokdo(独島) as they suddenly started to claim around 1969.

When Korean central government finally received the report from Gangwon Province governor and Chunchon county magistrate Lee Myung-rae (江原道觀察署理・春川郡守李明來), who originally received the report about "Dokdo", which locates 40km in the open sea(外洋百余里) away from Ulleungdo, becoming Japanese territory from the county magistrate Shim Heung-taek(沈興沢), Minister of Interior Lee Jee-yong（内部大臣李址鎔) and Prime Minister Bak Che-soon (議政府参政大臣・朴齋純） ordered governor Lee to investigate the "circumamstances of the island in concern and the activity of Japanese on the island" by the "Directive no. III (指令第三号)" on 20th May.

If Korean government found out that Shim’s “Dokdo” was appended island of Ulleungdo and “Seokdo” in Ordinance 41 in 1900 was another name of the island, they must have answered “竹島独島(JukdoDokdo)”, instead of “竹島石島(JukdoSeokdo)”, in the reply letter to the Resident-General, who asked about the towns and villages of “Uldo County”, not “Ulleung Island”.

From those articles, it is apparent that Korean government then didn’t consider Dokdo/Takeshima as their territory, and technically, that means they officially acquiesced the Japan's sovereignty over Takeshima/Dokdo by not interpolating "Dokdo" in the answer to claim the sovereignty.

chaamiey helped me for translating the article and corrected my mistakes. Two hanguls which are not used today were replaced by 한 and 하 by his advice. Thak you, chaamiey.

Related posts;
1899 - Sep 23 - "Hwangseong Sinmun" (皇城新聞) 1899 Sep 23: Ulleungdo Situation
1900 - "Uldo-gi" (鬱島記), by U Yong-jeong (禹用鼎)
1900 - Oct. 22 - A petition by 李乾夏 "鬱陵島를鬱島로改稱하고島監을郡守로改正에關한請議書", which excluded Dokdo from Uldo County.
1900 - Imperial Edict Makes Ulleungdo a County of Gangwon Province (大韓勅令第41号)
1906 - Feb 20 & April 17 - "Official Documents of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Vol.1" - Korean government protested about land transaction in 竹邊浦
1906 - July - Korea Omits Dokdo from Uldo County (皇城新聞「鬱島郡의 配置顛末」)
1906 - Apr 1 - Japanese Tell Koreans of Takeshima Incorporation (山陰新報 "竹島土産")
1906 - Apr 8 - "Diary of My Trip to Takeshima" # 3 (山陰新報 "竹嶋渡海日記")
1906 - Sep 26 - Boundary Survey of Uldo County Conducted (皇城新聞 "鬱島戸口")
1913 - June 22- Location of Us ando Unknown in Early 1900s (毎日申報 "無人島探検中止")

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NE Shore of Ulleungdo (鬱陵島 - 울릉도)

This satellite photo shows Ulleungdo's neighboring islands of Gwaneumdo (觀音島) and Jukdo (竹島) off Ulleungdo's east shore. Gwaneumdo is only about 100 meters offshore and looks more like a cape than an island. Jukdo is about 2 km offshore. The old Korean name for Jukdo was "Usando" (于山島), as many of Korea's old maps show. Koreans claim that Usando was Korea's old name for "Dokdo" (Liancourt Rocks), but they have no documents or maps to prove it. Also, Liancourt Rocks is about ninety-two kilometers southeast of Ulleungdo and are essentially two islands, but all of Korea's old maps show it as one island just off shore of Ulleungdo.

"Cheonggudo" (靑邱圖) Atlas (1860 - 1872)

This Korean map of Ulleungdo (鬱陵島 - 울릉도) showed it with a small island off its eastern shore labeled as "Usan" (于山). Hash marks at the bottom of the map showed that Usan was less than 4 km off Ulleungdo's east shore. That would mean that it would be Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo, which is about 2.2 km off Ulleungdo's east shore. Koreans claim that Usando was the old name for Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks), but Dokdo is 92 km southeast of Ulleungdo and is essentially two islands, not one. The map is stored in the National Library of Korea.

"Cheonggudo" (靑邱圖) Atlas (1834)

This Korean map of Ulleungdo (鬱陵島 - 울릉도) showed Usan (于山 - 우산) as a neighboring island just off Ulleungdo's east shore. The hash marks at the bottom of the map showed the island to be about 4 km offshore. Usando was the old Korean name for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo, which is about 2.2 km of Ulleungdo's east shore. Koreans claim that Usando was the old Korean name for "Dokdo" (Liancourt Rocks), which is 92 km southeast of Ulleungdo, but this map and many others prove that claim false. The map is stored in Seoul National University's Kyujanggak Center for Korean Studies.

"Dong Yeodo" (東輿圖) Atlas (1795 - 1800)

This map showed Ulleungdo (鬱陵島 - 울릉도) with a neighboring island labeled as "Usan" (于山 - 우산). Usando (于山島) was the old Korean name for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島 - 죽도), which is about 2.2 km off Ulleungdo's east shore. Koreans claim that Usando was the old name for "Dokdo" (Liancourt Rocks), which is 92 km southeast of Ulleungdo, but this map and many others prove that claim wrong. The map is stored in Japan's "University of Tsukuba Library" (筑波大学附属図書館).

"Joseon-do" (朝鮮圖) - 1800 - 1822

This map of Ullelungdo (鬱陵島) is from the Korean atlas "Joseon-do" (朝鮮圖), which is believed to have been made sometime between 1800 and 1822. Ulleungdo is shown with a neighboring island labeled as Usan (于山). Koreans claim that Usando (于山島) was the old Korean name for Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks), but this map and many others show that it was Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島), which is Ulleungdo's largest neighboring island and only two kilometers off Ulleungdo's east shore. The map is stored in the Osaka Nakanoshima Library (中之島圖書館).

"Gwandong Bangyeo" (關東方輿) - late 1800s?)

This map of Ulleungdo comes from an atlas entitled "Gwandong Bangyeo" (關東方輿), which was probably made in the late 1800s since the map is very similarly to another map of Ulleungdo that was made between 1884 and 1894. The mapmaker used gridlines to help show relative size and distance. The map shows Ulleungdo with a small island off its east shore labeled as "Usan" (于山), which was the old Korean name for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島 - 죽도). Jukdo is Ulleungdo's largest neighoring island and is about two kilometers off Ulleungdo's east shore. Koreans claim that Usando was the old Korean name for "Dokdo" (Liancourt Rocks), but they have no maps or documents to prove it. The map is stored in the Korean National Library.

"Joseon Jido" (朝鮮地圖) Atlas (1750 - 1768)

This Korean map of Ulleungdo (鬱陵島 - 울릉도) showed "Usan" (于山 - 우산) as a neighboring island. The grid lines on the map helped show the small island's relative distance from Ulleungdo. Usando (于山島 - 우산도) was the old Korean name for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島 - 죽도), which is about 2.2 km off Ulleungdo's east shore. Korean's claim that Usando was the old name for "Dokdo" (Liancourt Rocks), but this map and many others prove that claim false.

Inspector's Map of Ulleungdo (1711)

The map is an inspector's map that showed Ulleungdo with an island off its east shore labeled as "the so-called Usando" (所謂于山島). The small island was also labeled as having "fields of haejang bamboo" (海長竹田). Koreans claim that Usando was Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks), but this map shows that it could not have been Dokdo since Dokdo is just rocks without the soil to grow haejang bamboo. Also, Usando was shown as a neighboring island of Ulleungdo, but Dokdo is 92 km southeast of Ulleungdo. Stored in Seoul Nat'l University's Kyujanggak Institute of Korean Studies.

"Haejwa Jeondo" (海左全圖) - mid 1800s

This old Korean map showed Ulleungdo (鬱陵島 - 울릉도) with a small neighboring island just off its east shore labeled as "Usan" (于山 - 우산). Koreans claim that Usando (于山島 - 우산도) was the old name for Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks), but this map is evidence against the Korean claim. Liancourt Rocks is essentially two islands 92 kilometers southeast of Ulleungdo, but the Usan on this map is just off Ulleungdo's east shore and is only one island. In fact, Usando was the old name for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島 - 죽도), which is only two kilometers off Ulleungdo's east shore.

Carte de la Coree (1846)

This map was made iin 1846 by Kim Dae-geon (金大建), who was Korea's first Catholic priest. He made this map for the benefit of the French priest he works with. He was killed by the Joseon government the same year this map was made. The map shows Ulleungdo labeled in French as "Oulangto" and its neighboring island of Usando labeled as "Ousan." Koreans claim that Usando (于山島 - 우산도) was the old name for Dokdo (Liancourt Rock), but this map shows Usando as one island just of the east shore of Ulleungdo. That tells us that Usando was almost certainly Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島 - 죽도), which is only 2 kilometers off Ulleungdo's east shore. Also, this island could not have been Liancourt Rocks since Liancourt Rocks is essentially two islands not one. The original of this map is stored in the National Library of France.

Joseon Jeondo (朝鮮全圖) from the "Gakdo Jido" (各道地圖) Atlas (latter 18th c.)

This old Korean map showed an island labeled as "Usando" (于山島 - 우산도) just off the east shore of Ulleundo (鬱陵島 - 울릉도). Koreans claim that Usando was the old name for Dokdo (Liancourt Rocks), but this map is more evidence against that claim. Liancourt Rocks is essentially two islands ninety-two kilometers southeast of Ulleungdo, but this map shows Usando as one island just off Ulleungdo's east shore. Usando was, in fact, the old name for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島 - 죽도), which is about two kilometers off Ulleungdo's east shore. This map is stored in Korea's Yeongnam University Museum.

"Joseon Jido" (朝鮮地圖) Atlas (1898)

"Donggyeong San Cheon - Paldo Jido (東京山川八道地圖) Atlas (date unknown)

"Jeongukdo" (全國圖) from the "Dongguk Daecheondo" (東國大全圖) - 1740

This old Korean map shows Ulleungdo (鬱陵島 - 울릉도) with a small neighboring island just off its east shore labeled as "Usando" (于山島 - 우산도). Koreans claim that Usando was the old name for Dokdo, but this map is evidence against that claim. Liancourt Rocks is essentially two islands ninety-two kilometers southeast of Ulleungdo, but the Usando on this map is one island just off the east shore of Ulleungdo. Usando was, in fact, the old name for Ulleungdo's neighboring island of Jukdo (竹島 - 죽도), which is about two kilometers off Ulleungdo's east shore. This map is stored in the Korean National Museum.

竹島問題の歴史